answered, He saith, She is a cow not broken to plough
the earth, or water the field: a sound one, there
is no blemish in her. They said, Now hast thou
brought the truth. Then they sacrificed her;
yet they wanted little of leaving it undone. And
when ye slew a man, and contended among yourselves
concerning him, God brought forth to light that which
ye concealed. For we said, Strike the dead body
with part of the sacrificed cow; so God raiseth the
dead to life, and showeth you his signs, that peradventure
ye may understand. Then were your hearts hardened
after this, even as stones, or exceeding them in hardness:
for from some stones have rivers burst forth, others
have been rent in sunder, and water hath issued from
them, and others have fallen down for fear of God.
But God is not regardless of that which ye do.
Do ye therefore desire that the Jews should believe
you? yet a part of them heard the word of God, and
then perverted it, after they had understood it, against
their own conscience. And when they meet the true
believers, they say, We believe: but when they
are privately assembled together, they say, Will ye
acquaint them with what God hath revealed unto you,
that they may dispute with you concerning it in the
presence of your Lord? Do ye not therefore understand?
Do not they know that God knoweth that which they
conceal as well as that which they publish? But
there are illiterate men among them, who know not
the book of the law, but only lying stories, although
they think otherwise. And woe unto them who transcribe
corruptly the book of the law with their hands, and
then say, This is from God: that they may sell
it for a small price. Therefore woe unto them
because of that which their hands have written; and
woe unto them for that which they have gained.
They say, The fire of hell shall not touch us but
for a certain number of days. Answer, Have ye
received any promise from God to that purpose? for
God will not act contrary to his promise: or
do ye speak concerning God that which ye know not?
Verily whoso doth evil, and is encompassed by his iniquity,
they shall be the companions of hell fire, they shall
remain therein forever: but they who believe
and do good works, they shall be the companions of
paradise, they shall continue therein forever.
Remember also, when we accepted the covenant of the
children of Israel, saying, Ye shall not worship any
other except God, and ye shall show kindness to your
parents and kindred, and to orphans, and to the poor,
and speak that which is good unto men, and be constant
at prayer, and give alms. Afterwards ye turned
back, except a few of you, and retired afar-off.
And when we accepted your covenant, saying, Ye shall
not shed your brother’s blood, nor dispossess
one another of your habitations, then ye confirmed
it, and were witnesses thereto. Afterwards ye
were they who slew one another, and turned several
of your brethren out of their houses, mutually assisting
each other against them with injustice and enmity;