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Muhammad Asad   
[Moses] answered: "Behold, He says it is to be a cow not broken-in to plough the earth or to water the crops, free of fault, without markings of any other colour."Said they: "At last thou hast brought out the truth!"-and thereupon they sacrificed her, although they had almost left it undone
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
He replied, “Allah says, ‘It should have been used neither to till the soil nor water the fields; wholesome and without blemish.’” They said, “Now you have come with the truth.” Yet they still slaughtered it hesitantly!
Safi Kaskas   
Moses said, "He says it is a cow never yoked to plow the ground, or to water the furrows, whole and without blemish." They said, "Now you have spoken the truth." They almost missed the opportunity to sacrifice it.

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Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
قَالَ إِنَّهُۥ یَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةࣱ لَّا ذَلُولࣱ تُثِیرُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَلَا تَسۡقِی ٱلۡحَرۡثَ مُسَلَّمَةࣱ لَّا شِیَةَ فِیهَاۚ قَالُوا۟ ٱلۡءَـٰنَ جِئۡتَ بِٱلۡحَقِّۚ فَذَبَحُوهَا وَمَا كَادُوا۟ یَفۡعَلُونَ ۝٧١
Transliteration (2021)   
qāla innahu yaqūlu innahā baqaratun lā dhalūlun tuthīru l-arḍa walā tasqī l-ḥartha musallamatun lā shiyata fīhā qālū l-āna ji'ta bil-ḥaqi fadhabaḥūhā wamā kādū yafʿalūn
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more
  
He said, "Indeed, He says, "[Indeed] it (is) a cow not trained to plough the earth, and not water the field; sound, no blemish in it." They said, "Now you have come with the truth." So they slaughtered it, and not they were near (to) doing (it).

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
[Moses] answered: "Behold, He says it is to be a cow not broken-in to plough the earth or to water the crops, free of fault, without markings of any other colour."Said they: "At last thou hast brought out the truth!"-and thereupon they sacrificed her, although they had almost left it undone
M. M. Pickthall   
(Moses) answered: Lo! He saith: Verily she is a cow unyoked; she plougheth not the soil nor watereth the tilth; whole and without mark. They said: Now thou bringest the truth. So they sacrificed her, though almost they did not
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
He said: "He says: A heifer not trained to till the soil or water the fields; sound and without blemish." They said: "Now hast thou brought the truth." Then they offered her in sacrifice, but not with good-will
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
He replied, “Allah says, ‘It should have been used neither to till the soil nor water the fields; wholesome and without blemish.’” They said, “Now you have come with the truth.” Yet they still slaughtered it hesitantly!
Safi Kaskas   
Moses said, "He says it is a cow never yoked to plow the ground, or to water the furrows, whole and without blemish." They said, "Now you have spoken the truth." They almost missed the opportunity to sacrifice it.
Wahiduddin Khan   
Moses answered, Your Lord says, she should be a heifer which has not been yoked to plough the land or water the fields, a heifer free from any blemish. Now you have told us the truth, they answered, and they sacrificed it, though they would rather not have done it
Shakir   
Musa said: He says, Surely she is a cow not made submissive that she should plough the land, nor does she irrigate the tilth; sound, without a blemish in her. They said: Now you have brought the truth; so they sacrificed her, though they had not the mind to do (it)
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
He said: Truly, He says she is a cow neither broken to plow the earth, nor to draw water for cultivation, that which is to be handed over without blemish on her. They said: Now thou hadst brought about The Truth. So they sacrificed her, and they almost accomplish it not.
T.B.Irving   
He said: "He says that she is a cow which has not yet been broken in to plow the earth nor to irrigate any crops; she is sound and has no blemish on her." They said: "Now you are telling the Truth!", and they slaughtered her though they almost had not done so.
Abdul Hye   
He said: “He (Allah) indeed says, it is neither a cow trained to till the soil nor waters the fields; a healthy one with no mark in it.” They said: “Now you have brought the truth.” So they slaughtered it and they were near to not doing it.
The Study Quran   
He said, “He says she is a cow not broken to plow the earth or to water the tillage, sound and without blemish.” They said, “Now you have brought the truth.” So they slaughtered her, but they almost did not
Talal Itani & AI (2024)   
He replied, “He says it’s a cow not utilized for plowing or irrigating fields, flawless, with no blemish.” They said, “Now you’ve brought the truth.” So they slaughtered her, but they almost didn’t.
Talal Itani (2012)   
He said, 'He says she is a heifer, neither yoked to plow the earth, nor to irrigate the field; sound without blemish.' They said, 'Now you have brought the truth.' So they slew her; though they almost did not
Dr. Kamal Omar   
(Musa) said: “He says in certainty, without doubt, she is a cow, not trained to till the soil; and she does not water the field; fully sound, (there is) no defect in her.” They said: “Now you came with the truth!” Then they sacrificed it. And they had no intention that they would do it
M. Farook Malik   
Moses replied: "Allah says, the said cow should have neither been used to till the soil nor water the fields; a healthy one free from any blemish." "Now you have brought us the accurate description," they said. Then they slaughtered her, after they had nearly declined
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
He said, "Surely He says that surely she is a cow not tractable (Literally made subservient) to stir the earth or to water the tillage, with no blemish in it. They said, "Now you have come with the truth." So, they slew her, and they had scarcely performed that
Muhammad Sarwar   
(Moses) said, "The Lord says that it must not have even tilled the soil nor irrigated the fields and it must be free of blemishes and flaws." They said, "Now you have given us the right description." After almost failing to find it, they slaughtered the cow
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
He said, .He says that it should be a cow which is not tractable for tilling the soil or in watering the fields, (and it should be) sound and without blemish. They said, .Now, you have come up with the right description. Then they slaughtered her, although it appeared that they would not do it
Shabbir Ahmed   
Moses answered, "He says that the cow is such that has not toiled in plowing the land nor in watering the crops and it is sound without blemish." They said, "Now you bring the Truth." So they sacrificed her with great reluctance. Their hearts had been drenched in cow worship ((2:93), (5:101))
Dr. Munir Munshey   
(Musa)) said, "As a matter of fact, He says that this cow is not yoked or burdened. It does not plough the land, nor does it irrigate the field. It is unscathed, and without a blemish; it is free of faults." They said, "Now you have brought the truth." Then they slaughtered it, but they almost didn´t do it
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
He said: "He says: A calf not trained to till the soil or water the fields; Healthy and without defects. They said: Now you have brought the truth." Then they offered it (the calf) in sacrifice, but not in good will
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
He said, "He says, 'It is a cow neither trained to plow the earth nor to irrigate the field, one free from fault with no spot upon her.' " They said, "Now you have come with the truth." So they slaughtered her, but they could hardly do it
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
He said: "He says it is a heifer which was never subjugated to plough the land, or water the crops, free from any blemish." They said: "Now you have come with the truth." And they slaughtered it, though they had nearly not done so
Abdel Haleem   
He replied, ‘It is a perfect and unblemished cow, not trained to till the earth or water the fields.’ They said, ‘Now you have brought the truth,’ and so they slaughtered it, though they almost failed to do so
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
He said: verily He saith, verify she should be a cow unyoked, not broken to till the ground or to water the field, whole, and without blemish in her. They said: now hast thou brought the truth. Then they slaughtered her, and they were wellnigh not doing it
Ahmed Ali   
And Moses said: "He says it's a cow unyoked, nor worn out by ploughing or watering the fields, one in good shape with no mark or blemish." "Now have you brought us the truth," they said; and then, after wavering, they sacrificed the cow
Aisha Bewley   
He said, ´He says it should be a cow not trained to plough or irrigate the fields — completely sound, without a blemish on it.´ They said, ´Now you have brought the truth.´ So they sacrificed it — but they almost did not do it.
Ali Ünal   
He (Moses) answered: "He says, it is a cow unyoked to plough the earth or water the tillage, one kept secure and sound, with no blemish on it." "Now you have brought the truth," they answered; and they sacrificed it, though they all but did not
Ali Quli Qara'i   
He said, ‘He says, She is a cow not broken to till the earth or to water the tillage, sound and without blemish.’ They said, ‘Now have you come up with the truth!’ And they slaughtered it, though they were about not to do it
Hamid S. Aziz   
He answered, "He said, it is a heifer, not broken in to plough the earth or irrigate the tilth, a sound one with no blemish on her." They said, "Now have you brought the truth." And they slaughtered her, though they came near leaving
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
He said: “He says: “It is a cow that is not trained to plow the land or water the crop, perfect with no blemishes on it.”” They said: “Now you brought us the truth.” Then they slaughtered it, but they almost did not do that.
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
He said, “He says, a heifer not trained to till the soil or water the fields, healthy and without blemish.” They said, “Now you have brought the truth.” Then they offered it in sacrifice, but without good intentions
Musharraf Hussain   
Musasaid: “He says she is a cow that has not been yoked for ploughing or watering the fields, a healthy cow with no scars”. They then said: “Now you have given us the exact description”. Eventually they slaughtered it though they disliked doing so
Maududi   
Moses answered, "Allah says that she should be a cow which has not been yoked nor has ploughed the land nor watered the fields; which is sound and whole, without belemish. " Then they cried out, "Now you have given an accurate description. " Then they sacrificed her but they did not appear to be doing this willingly
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
He said: "He says it is a heifer which was never subjugated to plough the land, or water the crops, free from any blemish." They said: "Now you have come with the truth." And they slaughtered it, though they had nearly not done so.
Mohammad Shafi   
He said, "HE does say that the cow should be one that is not trained to till the earth or water the field. It should be sound in body, with no scar or blemish in her." They said, "You have now come with the Truth!" They sacrificed her then; and they were not keen on doing it

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
(Moses) said, "Says He, that she is a cow, no service is taken from her nor she ploughs the earth, nor water the filth, unblemish in which there is no spot. They said, "now you brought the truth, then they slaughtered her and were not willing to slaughter.
Rashad Khalifa   
He said, "He says that she is a heifer that was never humiliated in plowing the land or watering the crops; free from any blemish." They said, "Now you have brought the truth." They finally sacrificed her, after this lengthy reluctance.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
He replied: 'He says: "She is a cow, neither worn out plowing the earth nor watering the field, one kept secure free from any blemish." ' 'Now you have brought us the truth, ' they answered. And they slaughtered her, after they had been reluctant to do so
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
(Moses) said: He says: She is a cow not made submissive to plough the land, nor does she water the tilth, sound, without a blemish in her. They said: Now thou has brought the truth. So they slaughtered her, though they had not the mind to do (it)
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira   
He said: "That He says that it is a cow not manipulated/eased , it ploughs the earth, and does not water/irrigate the agricultural land/plants flawless, no marks/different colours in it." They said: "Now, you came with the truth/fact " So they slaughtered it , and they were not about to make/do (it)
Bijan Moeinian   
Moses said: “God says that this cow has never been used for plowing the land or watering the crops; an absolutely healthy cow.” Finally they [realized that they are playing with the fire and] said: “Now we know exactly which cow it is.” Then they sacrificed the cow though still not convinced
Faridul Haque   
Said Moosa, "He says, ‘She is a cow not made to work, neither ploughing the soil nor watering the fields; flawless and spotless’; they said, "You have now conveyed the proper fact"; so they sacrificed it, but seemed not to be sacrificing it (with sincerity)
Sher Ali   
He answered, `God says it is a cow not broken to plough the earth or water the tilth; one without blemish; of one colour.' They said, `Now thou have brought the truth.' Then they slaughtered her, though they would rather not do it
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
(Musa [Moses] said:) Allah has ordained: ‘(That is not any inferior cow. Instead) it is certainly (a superior) cow, which has been employed neither for ploughing nor for watering the field, a cow in sound health, without any blemish.’ They said: ‘Now you (have) brought the truth.’ So they sacrificed it, though they did not look like doing it
Amatul Rahman Omar   
He said, `He (- God) says, "It is indeed a cow neither broken in to plough the land nor to water the tillage, perfectly sound (without any blemish), no spot on her", (she is of one colour).' They said, `Now you have (after all) brought the exact truth (with the necessary description).' So they slaughtered her, though they had no mind to do it
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
He (Moosa (Moses)) said, "He says, It is a cow neither trained to till the soil nor water the fields, sound, having no other colour except bright yellow. " They said, "Now you have brought the truth." So they slaughtered it though they were near to not doing it

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
Arthur John Arberry   
He said, 'He says she shall be a cow not broken to plough the earth or to water the tillage, one kept secure, with no blemish on her.' They said, 'Now thou hast brought the truth'; and therefore they sacrificed her, a thing they had scarcely done
George Sale   
Moses answered, he saith, she is a cow not broken to plough the earth, or water the field, a found one, there is no blemish in her. They said, now hast thou brought the truth. Then they sacrificed her; yet they wanted but little of leaving it undone
Edward Henry Palmer   
He answered, 'He saith, it is a cow, not broken in to plough the earth or irrigate the tilth, a sound one with no blemish on her.' They said, 'Now hast thou brought the truth.' And they slaughtered her, though they came near leaving it undone
John Medows Rodwell   
He said, "God saith, 'She is a cow not worn by ploughing the earth or watering the field, sound, no blemish in her.' " They said, "Now hast thou brought the truth:" Then they sacrificed her; Yet nearly had they done it not
N J Dawood (2014)   
Moses replied: ‘Your Lord says: "Let her be a healthy cow, not worn out with ploughing the earth or watering the field; a cow free from any blemish."‘ ‘Now you have told us all,‘ they answered. And they slaughtered a cow, after they had nearly declined

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Fode Drame   
He said, “He says ‘it indeed is a cow not subject to domestication in order to till the land nor to water the crops, immaculate there is no spot on it’.” They said, “Now you have come up with the truth.” So they slaughtered it and they nearly never did.
Munir Mezyed   
He said: ‘The Lord says: 'It is a cow neither trained to plow the earth nor to irrigate the field. One free from fault with no spot upon it’. They said: ‘Now you have come with the truth’. So they slaughtered it although they had no intention of doing so.
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher   
He said: "He says, she is a cow which is not subjugated to plough the earth or water the crops, a healthy cow without any fault." They said: "Now you have come out with the truth." Then they slaughtered her, but had almost not done it.
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
He said, “(Allah) says that it is not a cow trained to plow the soil or water the fields. It is healthy and with no blemish.” They said, “Finally you have told us the whole truth.” They sacrificed it, but they almost didn’t.
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation   
He said, “He says it is a cow neither yoked to plow the earth nor to irrigate the field, sound without blemish.” They said, “Now you have come with the truth.” So they slaughtered it, though they almost did not.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
He said: "He (God) says that she is a cow which has not yet been broken in to plow the earth nor to irrigate any crops; she is sound and has no blemish on her." They said: "Now you are telling the Truth!", and they slaughtered her though they almost had not done so. (IX)
Samy Mahdy   
He (Moses) said, “He (Allah) says it is a cow, unyoked, plow the earth, not irrigate the tilth; peacefully no blemish in it.” They said, “Now you have brought the right.” So, they slaughtered it; though they had almost done that.
Sayyid Qutb   
[Moses] answered, 'He says let her be a cow, not broken-in to plough the earth or water the tillage, free of all fault, without markings of any other colour.' Said they, 'Now you have given the right description.' They sacrificed her, although they had almost left it undone.
Ahmed Hulusi   
“He says, ‘It is an unyoked cow neither trained to plow the earth nor to irrigate the field, a free cow with no spot on her!’” They said, “Now you have come with the truth.” So (with great difficulty they found a cow with such attributes and) they slaughtered her (but they paid a great price to find the only cow that met the criteria). They were nearly going to be unsuccessful!
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli   
(Moses) said:' Verily, He says : Verily, she is a cow not (yet) trained to till the soil or to water the fields; sound and without blemish. ' They said : ' Now you have brought the truth.' Then they offered her in sacrifice, though they had not the mind to do (it)
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur‘an al-Karim   
Mussa said: "Allah says it is a cow that has not been used in ploughing the land nor watering the fields, a cow free of all physical defects." There and then they said to Mussa: "Now you have brought us the truth," and they slaughtered the cow in sacrifice in spite of hesitation though they almost did not
Mir Aneesuddin   
(Musa) said, "He says it must be a cow unyoked, it does not plough the land nor does it irrigate the field, sound without (even) a mark on it." They said, "Now you have brought the truth," So they slaughtered it, while they were more close to, not doing it.
The Ascendant Qur‘an, Muhammad H. al-‘Asi   
[Moses] answered, “Behold, He says it is to be a cow not bro ken-in to plow the earth or water the crops, free of fault, without markings of any other colour.” Said they, “At last you have brought out the truth!” And thereupon they sac rificed her, although they had almost let it undone

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
He said: "He says: A heifer not trained to till the soil or water the fields; sound and without blemish." They said: "Now hast thou brought the truth." Then they offered her in sacrifice, but not with good-will
OLD Literal Word for Word   
He said, "Indeed, says, "[Indeed] it (is) a cow not trained to plough the earth, and not water the field; sound, no blemish in it." They said, "Now you have come with the truth." So they slaughtered it, and not they were near (to) doing (it)
OLD Transliteration   
Qala innahu yaqoolu innaha baqaratun la thaloolun tutheeru al-arda wala tasqee alhartha musallamatun la shiyata feeha qaloo al-ana ji/ta bialhaqqi fathabahooha wama kadoo yafAAaloona