Among men what nation had higher chances in the realm of the Spirit than the Children of Israel? But again and again did they fail in the spirit. They rebelled against Moses and murmured in the wilderness; the Prophets they slew and the Signs they rejoiced; they falsified Scripture and turned their back on righteousness.

Failing in the Spirit [2:40-86]

Children of Israel, remember My blessing wherewith I blessed you, and fulfill My covenant and I shall fulfill your covenant; and have awe of Me. And believe in that I have sent down, confirming that which is with you, and be not the first to disbelieve in it. And sell not My signs for a little price; and fear you Me. And do not confound the truth with vanity, and do not conceal the truth wittingly. And perform the prayer, and pay the alms, and bow with those who bow. Will you bid others to piety, and forget yourselves while you recite the Book? Do you not understand? Seek you help in patience and prayer, for grievous it is, save to the humble who reckon that they shall meet their Lord and that unto Him they are returning.

Children of Israel, remember My blessing wherewith I blessed you, and that I have preferred you above all beings; and beware of a day when no soul for another shall give satisfaction, and no intercession shall be accepted from it, nor any counterpoise be taken, neither shall they be helped.

And when We delivered you from the folk of Pharaoh who were visiting you with evil chastisement, slaughtering your sons, and sparing your women; and in that was a grievous trial from your Lord. And when We divided for you the sea and delivered you, and drowned Pharaoh's folk while you were beholding. And when We appointed with Moses forty nights then you took to yourselves the Calf after him and you were evildoers; then We pardoned you after that, that haply you should be thankful. And when We gave to Moses the Book and the Salvation, that haply you should be guided. 

And when Moses said to his people, 'My people, you have done wrong against yourselves by your taking the Calf; now turn to your Creator and slay one another. That will be better for you in your Creator's sight, and He will turn to you; truly He turns, and is All-compassionate.' And when you said, 'Moses, we will not believe thee till we see God openly'; and the thunderbolt took you while you were beholding. 

Then We raised you up after you were dead, that haply you should be thankful. And We outspread the cloud to overshadow you, and We sent down manna and quails upon you: 'Eat of the good things wherewith We have provided you. And they worked no wrong upon Us, but themselves they wronged. 

And when We said, 'Enter this townships, and eat easefully of it wherever you will, and enter in at the gate, prostrating, and say, Unburdening; We will forgive you your transgressions, and increase the good-doers.' Then the evildoers substituted a saying other than that which had been said to them; so We sent down upon the evildoers wrath out of heaven for their ungodliness. 

And when Moses sought water for his people, so We said, 'Strike with thy staff the rock'; and there gushed forth from it twelve fountains; all the people knew now their drinking-place. 'Eat and drink of God's providing, and mischief not in the earth, doing corruption.' 

And when you said, 'Moses, we will not endure one sort of food; pray to thy Lord for us, that He may bring forth for us of that the earth produces -- green herbs, cucumbers, corn, lentils, onions.' He said, 'Would you have in exchange what is meaner for what is better? Get you down to Egypt; you shall have there that you demanded.' And abasement and poverty were pitched upon them, and they were laden with the burden of God's anger; that, because they had disbelieved the signs of God and slain the Prophets unrightfully; that, because they disobeyed, and were trangressors. 

Surely they that believe, and those of Jewry, and the Christians, and those Sabaeans, whoso believes in God and the Last Day, and works righteousness -- their wage awaits them with their Lord, and no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow.

And when We took compact with you, and raised above you the Mount: 'Take forcefully that We have given you, and remember what is in it; haply you shall be godfearing.' Then you turned away thereafter, and but for the bounty and mercy of God towards you, you had been of the losers. And well you know there were those among you that transgressed the Sabbath, and We said to them, 'Be you apes, miserably slinking!' And We made it a punishment exemplary for all the former times and for the latter, and an admonition to such as are godfearing. 

And when Moses said to his people, 'God commands you to sacrifice a cow.' They said, 'Dost thou take us in mockery?' He said, 'I take refuge with God, lest I should be one of the ignorant.' They said, 'Pray to thy Lord for us, that He may make clear to us what she may be.' He said, 'He says she is a cow neither old, nor virgin, middling between the two; so do that you are bidden.' They said, 'Pray to thy Lord for us, that He make clear to us what her color may be.' He said, 'He says she shall be a golden cow, bright her color, gladdening the beholders.' They said, 'Pray to thy Lord for us, that He may make clear to us what she may be; cows are much alike to us; and, if God will, we shall then be guided.' He said, 'He says she shall be a cow not broken to plough the earth or to water the tillage, one kept secure, with no blemish on her.' They said, 'Now thou hast brought the truth'; and therefore they sacrificed her, a thing they had scarcely done. 

And when you killed a living soul, and disputed thereon -- and God disclosed what you were hiding -- so We said, 'Smite him with part of it'; even so God bring to life the dead, and He shows you His signs, that haply you may have understanding. Then your hearts became hardened thereafter and are like stones, or even yet harder; for there are stones from which rivers come gushing, and others split, so that water issues from them, and others crash down in the fear of God. And God is not heedless of the things you do.

Are you then so eager that they should believe you, seeing there is a party of them that heard God's word, and then tampered with it, and that after they had comprehended it, wittingly? And when they meet those who believe, they say 'We believe'; and when they go privily one to another, they say, 'Do you speak to them of what God has revealed to you, that they may thereby dispute with you before your Lord? Have you no understanding? Know they not that God knows what they keep secret and what they publish? 

And some there are of them that are common folk not knowing the Book, but only fancies and mere conjectures. So woe to those who write the Book with their hands, then say, 'This is from God,' that they may sell it for a little price; so woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for their earnings. 

And they say, 'The Fire shall not touch us save a number of days.' Say: 'Have you taken with God a covenant? God will not fail in His covenant; or say you things against God of which you know nothing? Not so; whoso earn evil, and is encompassed by his transgression -- those are the inhabitants of the Fire; there they shall dwell forever. And those that believe, and do deeds of righteousness -- those are the inhabitants of Paradise; there they shall dwell forever.'

And when We took compact with the Children of Israel: 'You shall not serve any save God; and to be good to parents, and the near kinsman, and to orphans, and to the needy; and speak good to men, and perform the prayer, and pay the alms.' Then you turned away, all but a few of you, swerving aside. 

And when We took compact with you: 'You shall not shed your own blood, neither expel your own from your habitations'; then you confirmed it and yourselves bore witness. Then there you are killing one another, and expelling a party of you from their habitations, conspiring against them in sin and enmity; and if they come to you as captives, you ransom them; yet their expulsion was forbidden you. What, do you believe in part of the Book, and disbelieve in part? What shall be the recompense of those of you who do that, but degradation in the present life, and on the Day of Resurrection to be returned unto the most terrible of chastisement? And God is not heedless of the things you do. 

Those who have purchased the present life at the price of the world to come -- for them the chastisement shall not be lightened, neither shall they be helped.