فَكَذَّبَ وَعَصىٰ

But Pharaoh denied and disobeyed.

ثُمَّ أَدبَرَ يَسعىٰ

Then he turned his back, striving.

فَحَشَرَ فَنادىٰ

And he gathered [his people] and called out

فَقالَ أَنا رَبُّكُمُ الأَعلىٰ

And said, "I am your most exalted lord."

فَأَخَذَهُ اللَّهُ نَكالَ الآخِرَةِ وَالأولىٰ

So Allah seized him in exemplary punishment for the last and the first [transgression].

أَأَنتُم أَشَدُّ خَلقًا أَمِ السَّماءُ ۚ بَناها

Are you a more difficult creation or is the heaven? Allah constructed it.

رَفَعَ سَمكَها فَسَوّاها

He raised its ceiling and proportioned it.

وَأَغطَشَ لَيلَها وَأَخرَجَ ضُحاها

And He darkened its night and extracted its brightness.

وَالأَرضَ بَعدَ ذٰلِكَ دَحاها

And after that He spread the earth.

أَخرَجَ مِنها ماءَها وَمَرعاها

He extracted from it its water and its pasture,