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Muhammad Asad   
And it is in this way that We cause the great ones in every land to become its [greatest] evildoers, there to weave their schemes: yet it is only against themselves that they scheme -and they perceive it not
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
And so We have placed in every society the most wicked to conspire in it. Yet they plot only against themselves, but they fail to perceive it.
Safi Kaskas   
so We placed the greatest opponents in every town to execute their schemes, but they only scheme against themselves without realizing it.

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Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَا فِي كُلِّ قَرْيَةٍ أَكَابِرَ مُجْرِمِيهَا لِيَمْكُرُوا فِيهَا وَمَا يَمْكُرُونَ إِلَّا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُون
Transliteration (2021)   
wakadhālika jaʿalnā fī kulli qaryatin akābira muj'rimīhā liyamkurū fīhā wamā yamkurūna illā bi-anfusihim wamā yashʿurūn
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more
  
And thus We placed in every city greatest (of) its criminals, so that they plot therein. And not they plot except against themselves and not they perceive.

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
And it is in this way that We cause the great ones in every land to become its [greatest] evildoers, there to weave their schemes: yet it is only against themselves that they scheme -and they perceive it not
M. M. Pickthall   
And thus have We made in every city great ones of its wicked ones, that they should plot therein. They do but plot against themselves, though they perceive not
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
Thus have We placed leaders in every town, its wicked men, to plot (and burrow) therein: but they only plot against their own souls, and they perceive it not
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
And so We have placed in every society the most wicked to conspire in it. Yet they plot only against themselves, but they fail to perceive it.
Safi Kaskas   
so We placed the greatest opponents in every town to execute their schemes, but they only scheme against themselves without realizing it.
Wahiduddin Khan   
Thus We have placed leaders of the wicked in every town to plot therein. Yet it is only against themselves that they scheme, though they may not perceive it
Shakir   
And thus have We made in every town the great ones to be its guilty ones, that they may plan therein; and they do not plan but against their own souls, and they do not perceive
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
And, thus, We made in every town greater ones who sin that they plan in it. Yet they plan not but against themselves although they are not aware.
T.B.Irving   
Thus We have granted each town great men who are its criminals, to plot away in it. They merely plot against themselves and do not even notice it.
Abdul Hye   
and thus We have set up in every town leaders of its wicked ones to plot in it. But they don’t plot except against themselves though they don’t perceive.
The Study Quran   
And thus have We made great ones among the guilty in every town, that they may plot therein. But they only plot against themselves, though they are unaware
Dr. Kamal Omar   
And thus We have set up in every town great ones of its wicked people to plot (mischief) therein. And they plot not (mischief) except on their ownselves and they perceive (it) not
Farook Malik   
and that is why in every town We have placed the criminals as their ring leaders to plot therein, they plot against none but their own souls, though they do not perceive it
Talal A. Itani (new translation)   
And thus We set up in every city its leading wicked sinners, to conspire in it, but they conspire only against themselves, and they do not realize it
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
And thus We made in every town great ones among its criminals to scheme therein; and in no way do they scheme against anyone except themselves, and in no way are they aware
Muhammad Sarwar   
In every town We have placed some sinful leaders who always make evil plans. These plans will only work against their own souls but they do not realize this
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
In a similar way, in every town We caused its chief sinners to commit mischief in it. And they do not commit mischief but against themselves, while they do not realize it
Shabbir Ahmed   
This is how We allow the greatest ones in every community to become its greatest criminals, to weave their schemes. Yet it is only against themselves that they scheme without even knowing it
Dr. Munir Munshey   
Thus, We raised the prominent ones among the criminals in every town to play their tricks. But they do not realize that they are only playing their tricks against themselves
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
And thus have We placed chief leaders in every town, its wicked men, who plot (evil and place themselves) in there: But they only plot against their own souls, and they do not understand it
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
And thus We have placed within every city the greatest of its criminals to conspire therein. But they conspire not except against themselves, and they perceive [it] not
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
And as such, We have permitted in every town the influential from its criminals, to scheme in it. They only scheme their own souls without perceiving
Abdel Haleem   
And so We have put chief evildoers in every city to perpetrate their schemes there- but they scheme only against themselves, without realizing it
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
And even so we set up in every town the great ones as its sinners, that they may plot therein. And they plot not but against themselves, and they perceive not
Ahmed Ali   
And thus have We placed in every city the greatest of the sinners to contrive and deceive; yet they contrive against no one but themselves even though they do not know
Aisha Bewley   
And likewise in every city We set up its greatest wrongdoers to plot in it. They plot against themselves alone, but they are not aware of it
Ali Ünal   
And in that way have We set up in every township as leaders its most prominent criminals so that they scheme (against the believers). But they scheme only against their own selves – and they do not perceive it
Ali Quli Qara'i   
Thus have We installed in every town its major criminals that they may plot therein. Yet they do not plot except against their own souls, but they are not aware
Hamid S. Aziz   
And thus have We placed great ones (leaders) in every town, its wicked ones, that they may plot therein. But they do but plot against themselves, though they perceive not
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
And that is how We placed in every town its greatest criminals to plot in it. And they do not plot except against themselves, and they do not realize.
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
And We have placed in every great city, those who are corrupt, to conspire therein. But they only conspire against their own selves, though they realize it not
Musharraf Hussain   
In the same way, We have placed sinners in every town who go about plotting evil, but they are only unwittingly deceiving themselves
Maududi   
Thus We have appointed the leaders of the wicked ones in every land to weave their plots; but in truth they plot only to their own harm, without even realizing it
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
And as such, We have permitted in every town the influential from its criminals, to scheme in it. They only scheme their own souls without perceiving.
Mohammad Shafi   
And thus have We made, in every human settlement, the biggest of the criminals to plot therein. And they plot not but against their own selves, and they perceive this not

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
And thus have We made in each town the leaders of the guilty, so that they may plot therein. And they plot not but against their own souls, and they perceive not.
Rashad Khalifa   
We allow the leading criminals of every community to plot and scheme. But they only plot and scheme against their own souls, without perceiving.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
And as such we have placed in every village its archtransgressors to scheme there. But they scheme only against themselves, though they do not sense it
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
And thus have We made in every town the leaders of its guilty ones, that they may make plans therein. And they plan not but against themselves, and they perceive not
Muhammad Ahmed - Samira   
And like that We made/put in every village/urban city its greatest/bigger criminals/sinners to cheat/deceive in it, and they do not cheat/deceive except with themselves, and they do not feel/know
Bijan Moeinian   
As a matter of fact, I have given the power to the main wrongdoers of each land so that they may [choose to] implement their wicked plans. What they do not realize is that their scheme will fire back and destroy their very own soul
Faridul Haque   
And similarly, We have made in every town leaders among its criminals that they may conspire in it; and they do not conspire except against themselves and they do not have perception
Sher Ali   
And thus have WE made in every town the leaders of its wicked ones that their doings seem fair to them with the result that they plot therein against the Messengers of ALLAH and they plot not except against their own souls; but they perceive not
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
And in like manner, We made the lords (and the affluent) in every community the ringleaders of their crimes, so that they might execute frauds in that (town), and (in fact) they do not defraud anyone other than their own selves. And they are not aware (of its evil outcome)
Amatul Rahman Omar   
Similarly have We made the leaders in every town the guilty ones, (because their doings seem fair to them) with the result that they intrigue therein; but little do they understand that, (as a matter of fact,) they intrigue only against themselves
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
And thus We have set up in every town great ones of its wicked people to plot therein. But they plot not except against their ownselves, and they perceive (it) not

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
Arthur John Arberry   
And even so We appointed in every city great ones among its sinners, to devise there; but they devised only against themselves, and they were not aware
George Sale   
And thus have we placed in every city chief leaders of the wicked men thereof, that they may act deceitfully therein; but they shall act deceitfully against their own souls only; and they know it not
Edward Henry Palmer   
And thus have we placed in every town the great sinners thereof, that they may use craft therein; but they use not craft except against themselves, although they do not understand
John Medows Rodwell   
Even so have we placed in every city, ringleaders of its wicked ones, to scheme therein: but only against themselves shall they scheme! and they know it not
N J Dawood (2014)   
We have placed in every city arch-transgressors who scheme within its walls. But they scheme only against themselves, though they may not perceive it

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
Thus We allow leaders in every city to be among the wicked so they shall scheme in it. They scheme only against their own souls, and they don’t even realize it.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
Thus We have granted each town great men who are its criminals, to plot away in it. They merely plot against themselves and do not even notice it.
Sayyid Qutb   
And thus in every city have We placed arch-criminals so that they weave their schemes there. But it is only against themselves that they scheme, though they do not perceive it.
Ahmed Hulusi   
Thus We have placed leaders (of crime) in every city as criminals so they conspire within... But they conspire against none but themselves, yet they are unaware!
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli   
And thus We have appointed in every town its leading criminals that they may plot therein. Yet they do not plot except against their own selves but they are not aware
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur'an al-Karim   
Thus did We set in every city the principal persons among the people who set no bounds to their sensuous vain and evil desires to take cunning for a sinister and crooked wisdom, and lie in wait to deceive the people, when in fact they beset themselves with evils and malice but they fail to perceive
Mir Aneesuddin   
And thus We have made in every city, (its) great ones its criminals that they may plan therein, and they do not plan but against their own souls but they do not perceive.

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
Thus have We placed leaders in every town, its wicked men, to plot (and burrow) therein: but they only plot against their own souls, and they perceive it not
OLD Literal Word for Word   
And thus We placed in every city greatest (of) its criminals, so that they plot therein. And not they plot except against themselves and not they perceive