قالوا ما أَخلَفنا مَوعِدَكَ بِمَلكِنا وَلـٰكِنّا حُمِّلنا أَوزارًا مِن زينَةِ القَومِ فَقَذَفناها فَكَذٰلِكَ أَلقَى السّامِرِيُّ

They said, "We did not break our promise to you by our will, but we were made to carry burdens from the ornaments of the people [of Pharaoh], so we threw them [into the fire], and thus did the Samiri throw."

فَأَخرَجَ لَهُم عِجلًا جَسَدًا لَهُ خُوارٌ فَقالوا هـٰذا إِلـٰهُكُم وَإِلـٰهُ موسىٰ فَنَسِيَ

And he extracted for them [the statue of] a calf which had a lowing sound, and they said, "This is your god and the god of Moses, but he forgot."

أَفَلا يَرَونَ أَلّا يَرجِعُ إِلَيهِم قَولًا وَلا يَملِكُ لَهُم ضَرًّا وَلا نَفعًا

Did they not see that it could not return to them any speech and that it did not possess for them any harm or benefit?

وَلَقَد قالَ لَهُم هارونُ مِن قَبلُ يا قَومِ إِنَّما فُتِنتُم بِهِ ۖ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ الرَّحمـٰنُ فَاتَّبِعوني وَأَطيعوا أَمري

And Aaron had already told them before [the return of Moses], "O my people, you are only being tested by it, and indeed, your Lord is the Most Merciful, so follow me and obey my order."

قالوا لَن نَبرَحَ عَلَيهِ عاكِفينَ حَتّىٰ يَرجِعَ إِلَينا موسىٰ

They said, "We will never cease being devoted to the calf until Moses returns to us."

أَلّا تَتَّبِعَنِ ۖ أَفَعَصَيتَ أَمري

From following me? Then have you disobeyed my order?"

قالَ يَا ابنَ أُمَّ لا تَأخُذ بِلِحيَتي وَلا بِرَأسي ۖ إِنّي خَشيتُ أَن تَقولَ فَرَّقتَ بَينَ بَني إِسرائيلَ وَلَم تَرقُب قَولي

[Aaron] said, "O son of my mother, do not seize [me] by my beard or by my head. Indeed, I feared that you would say, 'You caused division among the Children of Israel, and you did not observe [or await] my word.' "

قالَ فَما خَطبُكَ يا سامِرِيُّ

[Moses] said, "And what is your case, O Samiri?"

قالَ بَصُرتُ بِما لَم يَبصُروا بِهِ فَقَبَضتُ قَبضَةً مِن أَثَرِ الرَّسولِ فَنَبَذتُها وَكَذٰلِكَ سَوَّلَت لي نَفسي

He said, "I saw what they did not see, so I took a handful [of dust] from the track of the messenger and threw it, and thus did my soul entice me."

قالَ فَاذهَب فَإِنَّ لَكَ فِي الحَياةِ أَن تَقولَ لا مِساسَ ۖ وَإِنَّ لَكَ مَوعِدًا لَن تُخلَفَهُ ۖ وَانظُر إِلىٰ إِلـٰهِكَ الَّذي ظَلتَ عَلَيهِ عاكِفًا ۖ لَنُحَرِّقَنَّهُ ثُمَّ لَنَنسِفَنَّهُ فِي اليَمِّ نَسفًا

[Moses] said, "Then go. And indeed, it is [decreed] for you in [this] life to say, 'No contact.' And indeed, you have an appointment [in the Hereafter] you will not fail to keep. And look at your 'god' to which you remained devoted. We will surely burn it and blow it into the sea with a blast.