J. F. Campbell Collection > Koran: or, Alcoran of Mohammed

132 AL KORAN. CHAP. vii.
proudly in tlie earth, without justice : and although they see every sign, yet
they shall not believe therein ; and although they see the way of righteous-
ness, yet they shall not take that way; but if they see the way of error,
they shall take that way. This shall come to puss because they accuse our
signs of imposture, and neglect the same. But as for them who deny the
truth of our signs and the meeting of the life to come, then- works shall be
vain : shall they be rewarded otherwise than according to what they shall
have wrought? And the people of Moses, after his departure, took a
corporeal calf,'^ made of their ornaments,' which lowed.™ Did thoy not
see that it spake not unto them, neither directed them in the way 1 yd they
took it fur their god, and acted wickedly. But when they repented with
son'ow," and saw that they had gone astray, they said, Verily, if our Lord
have not mercy upon us, and forgive us not, we shall certainly become of
the nuTtiber of those who perish. And when Moses retui-ned unto his
people, full of wrath and indignation, he said, An evil thing is it that ye
have committed after my departure; have ye hastened the command of
your Lord?" And he tkrew down the tables,'' and took his brother by the
hair of the head, and di-agged him unto him. And Aaron said unto him,
Son of my mother. Verily the peo])le prevailed against me,'^ and it wanted
little but they had slain me : make not my enemies therefore to rejoice
over me, neither place me with the wicked people. Moses said, Lord,
forgive me and my brother, and receive us into thy juercy j for thou art the
most merciful of those who exercise mercy. Verily, as for them who took
the calfybr their god, indignation shall overtake them from their Lord,"" and
ignominy in this life : thus will we reward those who imagine falsehood.
But unto them who do evil, and afterwards repent, and believe in God,
verily thy Lord ivill thereafter be clement and merciful. And when the
anger of jNIoses was appeased, he took the tables;* and in what was written
thereon was a direction and mercy unto those who feared their Lord.
And Moses chose out of his people seventy men, to go up with him to the
mountain at the time apjiointed by us : and when a storm of thunder and
lightning had taken them away,* ' he said, O Lord, if thou hadst pleased,
thou hadst destroyed them before, and me also; wilt thou destroy us for
I' That is, as some understand it, consisting of flesh and blood ; or, as others, being
a mere body or mass of metal, without a soul.*
' Such as their rings and bracelets of gold and silver.^
™ See chap, xx., and the notes to chap ii. p. 7.
" Father Marracci seems not to have understood the meaning of this plirasc, having
literally translated the Arabic words, wa lamma sokitafi eidihim, without any manner
of sense, Et cum cadere factus fuisset in manibus eorum.
» By neglecting his precepts, and bringing down his vengeance on you.
'' Which were all broken and taken up to heaven, except one only ; and this, they
say, contained the threats and judicial ordinances, and was afterwards put into
the ark.*
1 Literally, rendered me weak.
"■ See chap. 2, p. 8.
• Or the fragments of that which was leit.
* " An earthquake swallowed them up.'' — Savary.
t See chap. 2, p. 8, and chap. 4, p. 78.
» Al Beidawi. See chap. 20, and the notes to chap 2, p. 7. * Vide ibid.
2 Al Beidawi. Vide t)'Herbelot, ubi sup. p. 649.