وَنَادٰى فِرْعَوْنُ فِيْ قَوْمِهٖ قَالَ يٰقَوْمِ اَلَيْسَ لِيْ مُلْكُ مِصْرَ وَهٰذِهِ الْاَنْهٰرُ تَجْرِيْ مِنْ تَحْتِيْۚ اَفَلَا تُبْصِرُوْنَۗ ( الزخرف: ٥١ )
And Pharaoh called out among his people; he said, "O my people, does not the kingdom of Egypt belong to me, and these rivers flowing beneath me; then do you not see?
اَمْ اَنَا۠ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ هٰذَا الَّذِيْ هُوَ مَهِيْنٌ ەۙ وَّلَا يَكَادُ يُبِيْنُ ( الزخرف: ٥٢ )
Or am I [not] better than this one [i.e., Moses] who is insignificant and hardly makes himself clear?
فَلَوْلَٓا اُلْقِيَ عَلَيْهِ اَسْوِرَةٌ مِّنْ ذَهَبٍ اَوْ جَاۤءَ مَعَهُ الْمَلٰۤىِٕكَةُ مُقْتَرِنِيْنَ ( الزخرف: ٥٣ )
Then why have there not been placed upon him bracelets of gold or come with him the angels in conjunction?"
فَاسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهٗ فَاَطَاعُوْهُ ۗاِنَّهُمْ كَانُوْا قَوْمًا فٰسِقِيْنَ ( الزخرف: ٥٤ )
So he bluffed his people, and they obeyed him. Indeed, they were [themselves] a people defiantly disobedient [of Allah].
فَلَمَّآ اٰسَفُوْنَا انْتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ فَاَغْرَقْنٰهُمْ اَجْمَعِيْنَۙ ( الزخرف: ٥٥ )
And when they angered Us, We took retribution from them and drowned them all.
فَجَعَلْنٰهُمْ سَلَفًا وَّمَثَلًا لِّلْاٰخِرِيْنَ ࣖ ( الزخرف: ٥٦ )
And We made them a precedent and an example for the later peoples.
وَلَمَّا ضُرِبَ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ مَثَلًا اِذَا قَوْمُكَ مِنْهُ يَصِدُّوْنَ ( الزخرف: ٥٧ )
And when the son of Mary was presented as an example, immediately your people laughed aloud.
وَقَالُوْٓا ءَاٰلِهَتُنَا خَيْرٌ اَمْ هُوَ ۗمَا ضَرَبُوْهُ لَكَ اِلَّا جَدَلًا ۗبَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ خَصِمُوْنَ ( الزخرف: ٥٨ )
And they said, "Are our gods better, or is he?" They did not present it [i.e., the comparison] except for [mere] argument. But, [in fact], they are a people prone to dispute.
اِنْ هُوَ اِلَّا عَبْدٌ اَنْعَمْنَا عَلَيْهِ وَجَعَلْنٰهُ مَثَلًا لِّبَنِيْٓ اِسْرَاۤءِيْلَ ۗ ( الزخرف: ٥٩ )
He [i.e., Jesus] was not but a servant upon whom We bestowed favor, and We made him an example for the Children of Israel.
وَلَوْ نَشَاۤءُ لَجَعَلْنَا مِنْكُمْ مَّلٰۤىِٕكَةً فِى الْاَرْضِ يَخْلُفُوْنَ ( الزخرف: ٦٠ )
And if We willed, We could have made [instead] of you angels succeeding [one another] on the earth.