The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

102
The Quran 7: 109
behold! – it was white for all to see. 109 The leaders among Pharaoh’s
people said, ‘This man is a learned sorcerer! 110 He means to drive
you out of your land!’ Pharaoh said, ‘What do you suggest?’ 111 They
said, ‘Delay him and his brother for a while, and send messengers to
all the cities 112 to summon every learned sorcerer to you.’
113 The sorcerers came to Pharaoh and said, ‘Shall we be rewarded
if we win?’ 114 and he replied, ‘Yes, and you will join my inner court.’
115 So they said, ‘Moses, will you throw first or shall we?’ 116 He
said, ‘You throw,’ and they did, casting a spell on people’s eyes,
striking fear into them, and bringing about great sorcery. 117 Then
We inspired Moses, ‘Throw your staff,’ and – lo and behold! –it
devoured their fakery. 118 The truth was confirmed and what they
had produced came to nothing: 119 they were defeated there and
utterly humiliated. 120 The sorcerers fell to their knees 121 and said,
‘We believe in the Lord of the Worlds, 122 the Lord of Moses and
Aaron!’ 123 but Pharaoh said, ‘How dare you believe in Him before I
have given you permission? This is a plot you have hatched to drive
the people out of this city! Soon you will see: 124 I will cut off your
alternate hands and feet a and then crucify you all!’ 125 They said,
‘And so we shall return to our Lord – 126 Your only grievance against
us is that we believed in the signs of our Lord when they came to
us. Our Lord, pour steadfastness upon us and let us die in devotion
to You.’
127 The leaders among Pharaoh’s people said to him, ‘But are you
going to leave Moses and his people to spread corruption in the land
and forsake you and your gods?’ He replied, ‘We shall kill their male
children, sparing only the females: We have complete power over
them.’ 128 Moses said to his people, ‘Turn to God for help and be
steadfast: the earth belongs to God – He gives it as their own to
whichever of His servants He chooses – and the happy future
belongs to those who are mindful of Him,’ 129 and they replied, ‘We
were being persecuted long before you came to us, and since then
too.’ He said, ‘Your Lord may well destroy your enemy and make
you successors to the land to see how you behave.’
130 We inflicted years of drought and crop failure on Pharaoh’s
people, so that they might take heed, 131 then, when something good
came their way, they said, ‘This is our due!’. When something bad
a Left hand and right foot or vice versa.