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Popular and/or Featured Works
Muhammad Asad   
Said they: "Pray on our behalf unto thy Sustainer that He make clear to us what she is to be like." [Moses] replied: "Behold, He says it is to be a cow neither old nor immature, but of art age in-between. Do, then, what you have been bidden!"
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
They said, “Call upon your Lord to clarify for us what type ˹of cow˺ it should be!” He replied, “Allah says, ‘The cow should neither be old nor young but in between. So do as you are commanded!’”
Safi Kaskas   
They said, "Pray to your Lord for us that He would clarify for us which kind." He said, "He says that it is a heifer, neither old, nor virgin, but middle-aged, so do as you are told.

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Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
قَالُوا۟ ٱدۡعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ یُبَیِّن لَّنَا مَا هِیَۚ قَالَ إِنَّهُۥ یَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةࣱ لَّا فَارِضࣱ وَلَا بِكۡرٌ عَوَانُۢ بَیۡنَ ذَ ٰلِكَۖ فَٱفۡعَلُوا۟ مَا تُؤۡمَرُونَ ۝٦٨
Transliteration (2021)   
qālū ud'ʿu lanā rabbaka yubayyin lanā mā hiya qāla innahu yaqūlu innahā baqaratun lā fāriḍun walā bik'run ʿawānun bayna dhālika fa-if'ʿalū mā tu'marūn
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more
  
They said, "Pray for us (to) your Lord to make clear to us what it (is)." He said, "Indeed, He says, "[Indeed] it (is) a cow not old and not young, middle aged between that," so do what you are commanded."

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
Said they: "Pray on our behalf unto thy Sustainer that He make clear to us what she is to be like." [Moses] replied: "Behold, He says it is to be a cow neither old nor immature, but of art age in-between. Do, then, what you have been bidden!"
M. M. Pickthall   
They said: Pray for us unto thy Lord that He make clear to us what (cow) she is. (Moses) answered: Lo! He saith, Verily she is a cow neither with calf nor immature; (she is) between the two conditions; so do that which ye are commanded
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
They said: "Beseech on our behalf Thy Lord to make plain to us what (heifer) it is!" He said; "He says: The heifer should be neither too old nor too young, but of middling age. Now do what ye are commanded!"
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
They said, “Call upon your Lord to clarify for us what type ˹of cow˺ it should be!” He replied, “Allah says, ‘The cow should neither be old nor young but in between. So do as you are commanded!’”
Safi Kaskas   
They said, "Pray to your Lord for us that He would clarify for us which kind." He said, "He says that it is a heifer, neither old, nor virgin, but middle-aged, so do as you are told.
Wahiduddin Khan   
They said, Ask your Lord to make it clear to us what sort of heifer she should be. He answered, God says she should be neither too old nor too young, but in between, so do as you are commanded
Shakir   
They said: Call on your Lord for our sake to make it plain to us what she is. Musa said: He says, Surely she is a cow neither advanced in age nor too young, of middle age between that (and this); do therefore what you are commanded
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
They said: Call to thy Lord for us to make manifest to us what she is! Moses said: Truly, He says: She should be a cow that is neither old nor virgin —middle-aged between them— so accomplish what you are commanded.
T.B.Irving   
They said: "Appeal to your Lord for us, to explain to us what she is." He said: "He says she is neither a worn-out cow, nor a heifer, but of an age in between. Do as you are ordered!"
Abdul Hye   
They said: “Call upon your Lord for us so that He will make clear to us what it is!” He said: “He (Allah) says, surely, it should be a cow neither old nor young but between that (2 conditions), so do what you are commanded.”
The Study Quran   
They said, “Call upon your Lord for us, that He may clarify for us what she is.” He said, “He says she is a cow neither old nor without calf, middling between them: so do what you are commanded.
Talal Itani & AI (2024)   
They said, “Ask your Lord to clarify for us what kind.” He replied, “He says it’s a cow, not too old nor too young, but of middle age. So do what you’re commanded.”
Talal Itani (2012)   
They said, 'Call upon your Lord to show us which one.' He said, 'He says she is a heifer, neither too old, nor too young, but in between. So do what you are commanded.'
Dr. Kamal Omar   
They said: “Call upon your Nourisher-Sustainer for us that He may make plain to us what (kind of cow) it is!” (Musa) said: “He says, verily, it is ' a cow neither too old nor too young, ideally growing between these (two extremes)’: so do what you are commanded.”
M. Farook Malik   
Request your Lord, they said, "to give us some details of that cow." Moses replied: "Allah says, the cow should neither be too old nor too young but of middle age;" do, therefore, what you are commanded
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
They said, "Invoke your Lord for us that He make evident to us what (cow) she is." He said, "Surely He says that surely she is a cow neither too old, nor new, middling between the two. So, perform what you are commanded."
Muhammad Sarwar   
They demanded, "Ask your Lord to describe the kind of cow He wants us to slaughter." Moses explained, "It must be neither too old nor too young, thus do whatever you are commanded to do." Moses then told them to do as they were ordered
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
They said, .Pray for us to your Lord that He makes it clear to us what sort (of cow) should she be. He said, .He says she should be a cow neither too old, nor too young - of some middle age in between. Now, do what you are being asked to do
Shabbir Ahmed   
(Now, they started making excuses.) They said, "Ask your Sustainer on our behalf what kind of a cow it should be." Moses answered, "Allah says that she is a cow neither too old nor too young. She is between the two conditions - so do as you are commanded."
Dr. Munir Munshey   
They said, "(Oh Musa), call your Lord for us and have Him ascertain for us, (exactly) what is it (that He wants slaughtered)?" Musa said, "In fact, He says that the cow should neither be too old nor too young, but rather of an age between the two extremes. Now carry out what you are told!"
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
They said: "Pray to your Lord on our behalf to explain to us what (calf) it is!" He said: "He says: The calf should be neither too old, nor too young, but of middling age: Now do what you are commanded!"
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
They said, "Call upon your Lord to make clear to us what it is." [Moses] said, "[ Allah ] says, 'It is a cow which is neither old nor virgin, but median between that,' so do what you are commanded."
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
They said: "Call upon your Lord for us that He may clarify which it is." He said: "He says it is a heifer neither too old nor too young, an age between that. So now do as you are commanded."
Abdel Haleem   
They said, ‘Call on your Lord for us, to show us what sort of cow it should be.’ He answered, ‘God says it should be neither too old nor too young, but in between, so do as you are commanded.’
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
They said: supplicate for us unto thy Lord that He make manifest unto us whatever she should be. He said: verily He saith, she should be a cow neither old nor young, but middle-aged betwixt that; do then as ye are commanded
Ahmed Ali   
"Call on your Lord for us," they said, "that He might inform us what kind she should be." "Neither old nor young, says God, but of age in between," answered Moses. "So do as you are bid."
Aisha Bewley   
They said, ´Ask your Lord to make it clear to us what it should be like.´ He said, ´He says it should be a cow, not old or virgin, but somewhere between the two. So do as you have been told.´
Ali Ünal   
They said, "Pray for us to your Lord that He may make clear to us what it should be like." He (Moses) answered: "He says, it should be a cow neither old nor virgin, middling between the two. So do what you are commanded."
Ali Quli Qara'i   
They said, ‘Invoke your Lord for us, that He may clarify for us what she may be.’ He said, ‘He says, She is a cow, neither old nor young, of a middle age. Now do what you are commanded.’
Hamid S. Aziz   
They said, "Then pray to your Lord for us to show us what she is to be." He answered, "He said it is a cow, not old, nor young, of middle age between the two; so do as you are bid."
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
They said: “Call on your Lord on our behalf to clarify for us what (kind of cow) it is.” He said: “He says: “It is a cow, not old and not young, but in between, a middle-aged one. So, do as you are ordered.””
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
They said, “Ask your Lord on our behalf to make plain to us what heifer it is.” He said, “He says the heifer should be neither too old nor too young, but of middle age, now do what you are asked.
Musharraf Hussain   
They said: “Then ask your Lord to explain what sort of cow it is”. He answered: “He says she is neither old nor young but in-between, so do as instructed”.
Maududi   
Then they said, "Please make a request to your Lord to give us some details of the cow." Moses answered, "Allah says that the cow should neither be old nor immature but of middle age. Do, therefore, as you are bidden."
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
They said: "Call upon your Lord for us that He may clarify which it is." He said: "He says it is a heifer neither too old nor too young, an age between that. So now do as you are commanded.
Mohammad Shafi   
They said, "Invoke your Lord for us to make clear to us what she is to be like." Said he, "HE does say that the cow should be neither old, nor young, but of an age in between. Now carry out what you have been commanded to do! "

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
They said, "pray to your Lord that He tell to us, what kind of the cow, is," he said, "says He, she is a cow, neither old nor immature, but in between both", so do what you are commanded.
Rashad Khalifa   
They said, "Call upon your Lord to show us which one." He said, "He says that she is a heifer that is neither too old, nor too young; of an intermediate age. Now, carry out what you are commanded to do."
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
'Call on your Lord, ' they said, 'to make known to us what she shall be. ' He said: "He says she is a cow neither old, nor virgin, middling between both." Therefore, do as you have been ordered.
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
They said: Call on thy Lord for our sake to make it plain to us what she is. (Moses) said: He says, Surely she is a cow neither advanced in age nor too young, of middle age between these (two); so do what you are commanded
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira   
They said: "Call for us your Lord He clarifies for us what it is." He (Moses) said: "That He says that it is a cow not (an) old aged animal , and nor first born/virgin , middle aged between that, so make/do what you are ordered/commanded."
Bijan Moeinian   
They [jokingly] said: “Ask <u>your</u> Lord what kind of cow it should be.” Moses responded: “God says that a middle aged cow is good enough. Now that you have your response, follow the Lord’s order.”
Faridul Haque   
They said, "Pray to your Lord that He may describe the cow"; said Moosa, "He says that it is a cow neither old nor very young but between the two conditions; so do what you are commanded."
Sher Ali   
They said, `Pray for us to thy Lord that HE make plain to us what she is,' He answered, `God says, it is a cow, neither old nor young, full-grown between the two; now do what you are commanded.
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
(Then) they said: ‘Pray for us to your Lord that He may make clear to us what kind of cow (that) shall be.’ (Musa [Moses]) said: ‘Certainly, He ordains that the cow is to be neither old nor young (heifer), but in between (fully grown). So now implement what you have been ordered.
Amatul Rahman Omar   
They said, `Pray for us to your Lord to make clear to us what (kind of a cow) it is.' He replied, `Says He, "It indeed is a cow neither too old nor too young, (but) of middle age, in between." Now do as you are commanded.
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
They said, "Call upon your Lord for us that He may make plain to us what it is!" He said, "He says, Verily, it is a cow neither too old nor too young, but (it is) between the two conditions, so do what you are commanded."

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
Arthur John Arberry   
They said, 'Pray to thy Lord for us, that He may make clear to us what she may be.' He said, 'He says she is a cow neither old, nor virgin, middling between the two; so do that you are bidden.
George Sale   
They said, pray for us unto thy Lord, that He would shew us what cow it is. Moses answered, he saith, she is neither an old cow, nor a young heifer, but of a middle age between both: Do ye therefore that which ye are commanded
Edward Henry Palmer   
They said, 'Then pray thy Lord for us to show us what she is to be.' He answered, 'He saith it is a cow, nor old, nor young, of middle age between the two; so do as ye are bid.
John Medows Rodwell   
They said, "Call on thy Lord for us that He would make plain to us what she is." He said, "God saith, 'She is a cow neither old nor young, but of the middle age between the two:' do therefore what ye are bidden."
N J Dawood (2014)   
Call on your Lord,‘ they said, ‘to make known to us what kind of cow she shall be.‘ He replied: ‘Your Lord says: "Let her be neither an old cow nor a young heifer, but in between." Do, therefore, as you are bidden.‘

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Fode Drame   
They said, “Ask your Lord for us to make clear for us what it [the cow] is?” He said, “He says ‘It is a cow neither old nor young, middling between that’. So do that which you are commanded.”
Munir Mezyed   
They said: ‘Call upon your Lord to show us which one’. Moses said: ‘The Lord says: ‘It is a cow which is neither old nor virgin, but of middling age'. Now, therefore, do what you are commanded’.
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher   
They said: "Call your Lord for us to explain to us what she is to be like." He said: "He says, she is to be a cow which is not too old nor too young, but middle-aged, so do what you have been commanded."
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
They said, “Ask for us for your Lord to explain which it is.” He said, “(Allah) says that it is a cow not old and not young but in between old and young. Now do as you are told.”
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation   
They said, “Call upon your Lord to make evident to us what (sort of cow) it is.” He said, “He says it is a cow neither too old nor too young—of median age between that, so do what you are commanded.”
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
They said: "Appeal to your Lord for us, to explain to us what she is." He said: "He (God) says she is neither a worn-out cow, nor a heifer, but of an age in between. Do as you are ordered!"
Samy Mahdy   
They said, “Call for us your Lord to clarify for us what it is?” He said, “He says it is a cow, neither too old, nor virgin, but a middle in between of that. So, do what you were commanding.”
Sayyid Qutb   
They said, 'Pray on our behalf to your Lord to make plain to us what kind of cow she should be.' He said, 'He says let her be neither an old cow nor a young heifer, but of an age in between. Do, then, as you are commanded.'
Ahmed Hulusi   
They said, “Turn to your Rabb to make clear to us what exactly He wants (slaughtered).” “Indeed He says ‘It is a cow which is neither too old nor too young, but in between the two’, so now do as you are commanded.”
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli   
They said 'Ask your Lord for us to make it clear to us what she is.' Moses said:'He says : Surely she is a cow neither old nor young, but of middle age; so do what you are commanded '
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur‘an al-Karim   
They said to Mussa: "Beseech Allah, your Creator, to point out to us the kind of cow". Mussa said: Allah says: "It is a cow neither old nor young but in an intermediate stage and now Allah has commanded and you shall have to obey"
Mir Aneesuddin   
They said, "Call on your Fosterer on our behalf to make clear to us what this (cow) is." He (Musa) replied, "He says that it is a cow which is neither old nor (very) young, middle aged between those two, so do what you are ordered to do."
The Ascendant Qur‘an, Muhammad H. al-‘Asi   
Said they, “Pray on our behalf unto your Sustainer that He make clear to us what she is to be like.” [Moses] replied, “Behold, He says it is to be a cow neither old nor immature, but an age in-between. Do, then, what you have been bidden!

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
They said: "Beseech on our behalf Thy Lord to make plain to us what (heifer) it is!" He said; "He says: The heifer should be neither too old nor too young, but of middling age. Now do what ye are commanded!"
OLD Literal Word for Word   
They said, "Pray for us (to) your Lord to make clear to us what it (is)." He said, "Indeed, says, "[Indeed] it (is) a cow not old and not young, middle aged between that," so do what you are commanded.
OLD Transliteration   
Qaloo odAAu lana rabbaka yubayyin lana ma hiya qala innahu yaqoolu innaha baqaratun la faridun wala bikrun AAawanun bayna thalika faifAAaloo ma tu/maroona