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Muhammad Asad   
or take them to task through slow decay? And yet, behold, your Sustainer is most compassionate, a dispenser of grace
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
Or that He will not destroy them gradually? But your Lord is truly Ever Gracious, Most Merciful.
Safi Kaskas   
or that He will not take them gradually? Your Sustainer is most Merciful-to-all, a purveyor of mercy!

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Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
أَوْ يَأْخُذَهُمْ عَلَىٰ تَخَوُّفٍ فَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَرَءُوفٌ رَّحِيم
Transliteration (2021)   
aw yakhudhahum ʿalā takhawwufin fa-inna rabbakum laraūfun raḥīmu
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more
  
Or that He may seize them with a gradual wasting But indeed, your Lord (is) surely Full of Kindness, Most Merciful.

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
or take them to task through slow decay? And yet, behold, your Sustainer is most compassionate, a dispenser of grace
M. M. Pickthall   
Or that He will not seize them with a gradual wasting? Lo! thy Lord is indeed Full of Pity, Merciful
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
Or that He may not call them to account by a process of slow wastage - for thy Lord is indeed full of kindness and mercy
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
Or that He will not destroy them gradually? But your Lord is truly Ever Gracious, Most Merciful.
Safi Kaskas   
or that He will not take them gradually? Your Sustainer is most Merciful-to-all, a purveyor of mercy!
Wahiduddin Khan   
Or that He will not punish them by giving them a fright? Indeed, your Lord is kind and merciful
Shakir   
Or that He may not seize them by causing them to suffer gradual loss, for your Lord is most surely Compassionate, Merciful
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
Or that He take them, destroying them little by little? Truly, thy Lord is Gentle, Compassionate.
T.B.Irving   
or catch them so they waste away.? Yet your Lord is Gentle, Merciful!
Abdul Hye   
Or that He may seize them with a gradual wasting (of wealth and health)? Surely! Your Lord is indeed Gracious, Merciful.
The Study Quran   
Or that He will not seize them with a gradual diminishing? And truly your Lord is Kind, Merciful
Dr. Kamal Omar   
Or He may get hold of them while (they are) in a state of fear (due to impending or approaching torment?). After all, surely, your Nourisher-Sustainer is indeed, full of kindness, continuously Merciful
Farook Malik   
Or that He may seize them after alerting them about the danger? Yet your Lord is Beneficent, Merciful
Talal A. Itani (new translation)   
Or that He will not seize them while in dread? Your Lord is Gentle and Merciful
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
Or that He will not take them (away) by constant fright? Then, surely your Lord is indeed Ever-Compassionate, Ever-Merciful
Muhammad Sarwar   
Are they confident that God will not slowly destroy them? Your Lord is Compassionate and All-merciful
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
or that He seizes them while they are in apprehension? So, indeed your Lord is Very-Kind, Very-Merciful
Shabbir Ahmed   
Or that His Law could cause such nations to decline slowly. (6:65), (7:182). And yet, your Lord is most Compassionate, Merciful. (He has ordained the Law of Respite for individuals and nations)
Dr. Munir Munshey   
Or seize them first with terror, then grab them as they dread? Yet, your Lord is most Forgiving and most Beneficent, indeed
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
Or that He may not bring them to account by a process of slow wasting (of themselves)— For your Lord is truly full of Kindness (Ra'uf) and Mercy (Raheem)
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
Or that He would not seize them gradually [in a state of dread]? But indeed, your Lord is Kind and Merciful
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
Or that He will take them while they are in fear. Your Lord is Compassionate, Merciful
Abdel Haleem   
or that it will not catch up with them gradually? Indeed your Lord is kind and merciful
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
Or, that he will not take hold of them by giving them a fright? verily thy Lord is Kind, Merciful
Ahmed Ali   
Or He may seize them by diminishing their portion. Yet your Lord is compassionate and kind
Aisha Bewley   
Or that He will not seize them little by little? For your Lord is All-Compassionate, Most Merciful.
Ali Ünal   
Or that He will not seize them with gradual wasting (of wealth and health giving them time to mend their ways)? For surely your Lord is All-Pitying, All-Compassionate
Ali Quli Qara'i   
Or that He will not visit them with attrition? Indeed your Lord is most kind and merciful
Hamid S. Aziz   
Or that He should seize them with a gradual wasting? Verily, your Lord is indeed Kind, Merciful
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
Or He takes them in state of fear (or by wasting them away)? Indeed your Master is gentle and merciful
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
Or that He may not call them to account by a process of slow wastage? For your Lord is indeed full of kindness and mercy
Musharraf Hussain   
Then again, He may punish them gradually through fear. Indeed, your Lord is the Compassionate, the Kind
Maududi   
or that He will not seize them when they are apprehensive of the impending calamity? Surely your Lord is Most Compassionate, Most Merciful
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
Or that He will take them while they are in a state of fear? Your Lord is Compassionate, Merciful.
Mohammad Shafi   
Or that He may not seize them with fear and/or slow destruction? And your Lord is indeed Kind, Merciful

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
Or that He may catch them by a process of slow wastage. No doubt, your Lord is very Kind, Merciful.
Rashad Khalifa   
Or it may strike them while they are fearfully expecting it. Your Lord is Compassionate, Most Merciful.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
Or, that He will not seize them, a little at a time and destroy them? Indeed, your Lord is Clement, the Most Merciful
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
Or that He will not seize them with a gradual diminution? Your Lord is surely Compassionate, Merciful
Muhammad Ahmed - Samira   
Or He takes/receives/punishes them on fear/fright, so that your Lord (is) merciful/compassionate (E), merciful
Bijan Moeinian   
Their punishment may even be sent down while they are fearfully expecting it. The fact of the matter is that your Lord is the Most Compassionated, the Most Merciful (and that is why He is giving them more time so that they may wake up.
Faridul Haque   
Or that He may seize them whilst constantly ruining them? For indeed your Lord is Most Compassionate, Most Merciful
Sher Ali   
Or that HE will not destroy them through a process of gradual attrition? Your Lord is indeed Compassionate, Merciful
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
Or He may seize them for being struck with fear. Indeed, your Lord is Most Compassionate, Ever-Merciful
Amatul Rahman Omar   
Or it may be that He will take them to task through (a process of) gradual diminition (until disbelief is completely annihilated)? For surely your Lord is All-Compassionate, Ever Merciful
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
Or that He may catch them with gradual wasting (of their wealth and health). Truly! Your Lord is indeed full of Kindness, Most Merciful

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
Arthur John Arberry   
Or that He will not seize them, little by little destroying them? Surely thy Lord is All-clement, All-compassionate
George Sale   
or that He will not chastise them by a gradual destruction? But your Lord is truly gracious and merciful in granting you respite
Edward Henry Palmer   
Or that He should seize them with a gradual destruction? for, verily, your Lord is kind, merciful
John Medows Rodwell   
Or that he will not seize them with some slowly wasting scourge? But verily your Lord is Good, Gracious
N J Dawood (2014)   
or give them over to slow destruction?¹ Yet is your Lord kindly and compassionate

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
Or [do they think] that He may not seize them by a gradual decline? Indeed your Lord is Kindest, Most Merciful.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
or catch them so they waste away.? Yet your Lord is Gentle, Merciful!
Sayyid Qutb   
Or that He will seize them when they are alert and apprehensive? Surely your Lord is Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.
Ahmed Hulusi   
Or (did they feel secure) that He won’t destroy them gradually? Indeed, your Rabb is the Ra’uf, the Rahim.
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli   
Or that He will not seize them in the state of fear, for verily your Lord is certainly Compassionate, Merciful.
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur'an al-Karim   
Or that He shall not punish them by inspiring to them constant sense of danger and cause their gradual fall from power, in His own manner, until it is vanished, -re- conquest of Macca, and many other recent events-, to give them a chance, that at some point they may wake up to their senses. Allah is indeed Ghafurun and Rahimun
Mir Aneesuddin   
or that He will (not) seize them by causing them to suffer a gradual loss? But your Fosterer is certainly full of pity, Merciful.

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
Or that He may not call them to account by a process of slow wastage - for thy Lord is indeed full of kindness and mercy
OLD Literal Word for Word   
Or that He may seize them with a gradual wasting But indeed, your Lord (is) surely Full of Kindness, Most Merciful