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Popular and/or Featured Works
Muhammad Asad   
And Moses chose out of his people seventy men to come [and pray for forgiveness] at a time set by Us. Then, when violent trembling seized them, he prayed: "O my Sustainer! Hadst Thou so willed, Thou wouldst have destroyed them ere this, and me [with them]. Wilt Thou destroy us for what the weak-minded among us have done? (All] this is but a trial from Thee, whereby Thou allowest to go astray whom Thou willest, and guidest aright whom Thou willest. Thou art near unto us: grant us, then, forgiveness and have mercy on us - for Thou art the best of all forgivers
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
Moses chose seventy men from among his people for Our appointment and, when they were seized by an earthquake, he cried, “My Lord! Had You willed, You could have destroyed them long ago, and me as well. Will You destroy us for what the foolish among us have done? This is only a test from You—by which You allow whoever you will to stray and guide whoever You will. You are our Guardian. So forgive us and have mercy on us. You are the best forgiver.
Safi Kaskas   
Moses chose seventy men for our appointment. When they were seized with trembling, he prayed, “Lord, had You willed, You would have destroyed them, and me as well. Will You destroy us for what the fools among us did? This is a trial from you, whereby You allow whomever You will to go astray and guide whomever You will. You are near to us. Grant us forgiveness, and have mercy on us, for You are the Most Forgiving of all.

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Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
وَٱخۡتَارَ مُوسَىٰ قَوۡمَهُۥ سَبۡعِینَ رَجُلࣰا لِّمِیقَـٰتِنَاۖ فَلَمَّاۤ أَخَذَتۡهُمُ ٱلرَّجۡفَةُ قَالَ رَبِّ لَوۡ شِئۡتَ أَهۡلَكۡتَهُم مِّن قَبۡلُ وَإِیَّـٰیَۖ أَتُهۡلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ ٱلسُّفَهَاۤءُ مِنَّاۤۖ إِنۡ هِیَ إِلَّا فِتۡنَتُكَ تُضِلُّ بِهَا مَن تَشَاۤءُ وَتَهۡدِی مَن تَشَاۤءُۖ أَنتَ وَلِیُّنَا فَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَٱرۡحَمۡنَاۖ وَأَنتَ خَیۡرُ ٱلۡغَـٰفِرِینَ ۝١٥٥
Transliteration (2021)   
wa-ikh'tāra mūsā qawmahu sabʿīna rajulan limīqātinā falammā akhadhathumu l-rajfatu qāla rabbi law shi'ta ahlaktahum min qablu wa-iyyāya atuh'likunā bimā faʿala l-sufahāu minnā in hiya illā fit'natuka tuḍillu bihā man tashāu watahdī man tashāu anta waliyyunā fa-igh'fir lanā wa-ir'ḥamnā wa-anta khayru l-ghāfirīn
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more
  
And chose Musa (from) his people seventy men for Our appointment. Then when seized them the earthquake he said, "O my Lord! If you (had) willed, You (could) have destroyed them from before and me. Would You destroy us for what did the foolish among us? Not it (was) but Your trial, You let go astray by it whom You will and You guide whom You will. You (are) our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy upon us, and You (are) Best (of) Forgivers.

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
And Moses chose out of his people seventy men to come [and pray for forgiveness] at a time set by Us. Then, when violent trembling seized them, he prayed: "O my Sustainer! Hadst Thou so willed, Thou wouldst have destroyed them ere this, and me [with them]. Wilt Thou destroy us for what the weak-minded among us have done? (All] this is but a trial from Thee, whereby Thou allowest to go astray whom Thou willest, and guidest aright whom Thou willest. Thou art near unto us: grant us, then, forgiveness and have mercy on us - for Thou art the best of all forgivers
M. M. Pickthall   
And Moses chose of his people seventy men for Our appointed tryst and, when the trembling came on them, he said: My Lord! If Thou hadst willed Thou hadst destroyed them long before, and me with them. Wilt thou destroy us for that which the ignorant among us did? It is but Thy trial (of us). Thou sendest whom Thou wilt astray and guidest whom Thou wilt: Thou art our Protecting Friend, therefore forgive us and have mercy on us, Thou, the Best of all who show forgiveness
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
And Moses chose seventy of his people for Our place of meeting: when they were seized with violent quaking, he prayed: "O my Lord! if it had been Thy will Thou couldst have destroyed, long before, both them and me: wouldst Thou destroy us for the deeds of the foolish ones among us? this is no more than Thy trial: by it Thou causest whom Thou wilt to stray, and Thou leadest whom Thou wilt into the right path. Thou art our Protector: so forgive us and give us Thy mercy; for Thou art the best of those who forgive
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
Moses chose seventy men from among his people for Our appointment and, when they were seized by an earthquake, he cried, “My Lord! Had You willed, You could have destroyed them long ago, and me as well. Will You destroy us for what the foolish among us have done? This is only a test from You—by which You allow whoever you will to stray and guide whoever You will. You are our Guardian. So forgive us and have mercy on us. You are the best forgiver.
Safi Kaskas   
Moses chose seventy men for our appointment. When they were seized with trembling, he prayed, “Lord, had You willed, You would have destroyed them, and me as well. Will You destroy us for what the fools among us did? This is a trial from you, whereby You allow whomever You will to go astray and guide whomever You will. You are near to us. Grant us forgiveness, and have mercy on us, for You are the Most Forgiving of all.
Wahiduddin Khan   
And Moses chose from his people seventy men for Our appointment. When they were seized with violent quaking, he prayed, O my Lord! If it had been Your will, You could have destroyed both them and me long ago. But would You destroy us for the deeds of the foolish ones among us? This is no more than Your trial: by it You cause whom You will to stray, and You lead whom You will to the right path. You are our Protector. Forgive us, therefore, and have mercy on us, for You are the best of those who forgive
Shakir   
And Musa chose out of his people seventy men for Our appointment; so when the earthquake overtook them, he said: My Lord! if Thou hadst pleased, Thou hadst destroyed them before and myself (too); wilt Thou destroy us for what the fools among us have done? It is naught but Thy trial, Thou makest err with it whom Thou pleasest and guidest whom Thou pleasest: Thou art our Guardian, therefore forgive us and have mercy on us, and Thou art the best of the forgivers
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
And Moses chose of his folk seventy men for Our time appointed. And when the quaking of the earth took them, he said: Lord! If Thou wilt, Thou wouldst cause them to perish and me before. Wouldst Thou cause us to perish for what the foolish among us accomplished? It is not but Thy test. With it Thou wilt cause to go astray whom Thou wilt and Thou wilt guide whom Thou hadst willed. Thou art our protector, so forgive us and have mercy on us for Thou art Best of the ones who forgive.
T.B.Irving   
Moses chose his people, seventy men, for an appointment with Us. When the Tremor seized them, he said: "My Lord, even though You may have wished to wipe them out and myself (as well) earlier, are You wiping us out just because of what some fools among us have done? It is only Your manner of testing: You let anyone You wish to, go astray by means of it, and let anyone You wish, to be guided. You are our Patron, so pardon us and show us mercy; You are the best Pardoner.
Abdul Hye   
Moses chose 70 men out of his people to (the place of) Our appointment. (On the way) when a violent earthquake seized them, he said: “O my Lord, had You willed, You could have destroyed them and me before. Would You destroy us for what the fools did among us? It was not but Your trial by which You mislead with it whom You willed, and You guided whom You willed. You are our Guardian, so forgive us and have Mercy on us, and You are the best of those who forgive,
The Study Quran   
And Moses chose seventy men from his people for Our meeting. And when the earthquake seized them, he said, “My Lord! Hadst Thou willed, Thou wouldst have destroyed them and me beforehand. Wilt Thou destroy us for that which the fools among us have done? It is naught but Thy trial, whereby Thou leadest astray whomsoever Thou wilt, and guidest whomsoever Thou wilt. Thou art our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy upon us, and Thou art the best of forgivers
Talal Itani & AI (2024)   
Moses selected seventy men from his people for Our appointed meeting. When the tremor seized them, he said, “My Lord, if You had willed, You could’ve destroyed them—and me—before. Will You destroy us for the deeds of the foolish among us? This is only Your trial by which You lead astray whom You will, and guide whom You will. You are our Protector, so grant us forgiveness and have mercy upon us. You are the Best of those who forgive.
Talal Itani (2012)   
And Moses chose from his people seventy men for Our appointment. When the tremor shook them, he said, 'My Lord, had You willed, You could have destroyed them before, and me too. Will you destroy us for what the fools among us have done? This is but Your test—with it You misguide whomever You will, and guide whomever You will. You are our Protector, so forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are the Best of Forgivers.'
Dr. Kamal Omar   
And Musa picked up his nation (in the form of) seventy (representative) male-adults for Our appointed time and place for meeting, but when a violent tremor seized them, (Musa) said: “My Nourisher-Sustainer! If You had willed You could have destroyed them before and me too; would You destroy us because of what committed the foolish amongst us? It is not but a test from You. You send astray through it whom You think proper and You guide whom You think proper. You are our Wali, so grant forgiveness for us and have mercy on us, and You are the Best of those who forgive
M. Farook Malik   
Moses chose seventy men from his nation to accompany him to Our place of meeting. On their way when they were seized by a violent earthquake, he prayed: "O my Lord! Had it been Your will, You could have destroyed them long ago, and myself too. Would You destroy us for the offense committed by some fools among us? That trial was ordained by You, to confound whom You willed and to guide whom You pleased. You are our Guardian, therefore, forgive us and have mercy on us; for You are the best of all forgivers
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
And Musa (Moses) chose his people, seventy men, for Our fixed time; then, as soon as the commotion took them, he said, "Lord! If you had so decided, You would have caused them to perish earlier and me. Would You cause us to perish for what the foolish ones of us have performed? Decidedly it is (nothing) except Your temptation, whereby You lead to error whomever You decide, and You guide whomever You decide. You are our Ever-Patronizing Patron, so forgive us and have mercy on us, and You are The Most Charitable of forgivers.
Muhammad Sarwar   
Moses selected seventy men from his people to attend Our appointment. (In Our presence). When an earthquake jolted them to death, Moses said, "Lord, had You wanted to destroy them, why did You not destroy them and me before. Are You destroying us for what the fools among us have done? This (destruction) is only a trial through which You cause some to go astray and guide others. You are our Guardian. Forgive us and have mercy on us; You are the best of those who forgive
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
And Musa selected seventy men from his people for Our appointment. Later when the earthquake seized them, he said, .My Lord, had it been Your will, You could have destroyed them earlier, and me too. Would You destroy us for what the foolish among them have done? It is nothing but a trial from You, wherewith you let go astray whom You will, and give guidance to whom You will. You are our protector, so forgive us, and have mercy on us, and You are the best among those who forgive
Shabbir Ahmed   
Moses planned for the future. He appointed seventy of his people as officers to prevent the nation from wavering. An earthquake shook them (2:55) and Moses said, "My Lord! You could have destroyed them and me before, if You so willed (when they asked to see God in physical form (2:55)). Would you destroy us for the actions of the ignorant among us? This must be Your trial for us. You have appointed Laws of straying and guidance. You are our Protecting Friend. Forgive us and have Mercy on us. You are the Best of forgivers
Dr. Munir Munshey   
Musa selected seventy men for an appointment with Us. There, a violent earthquake seized them. He prayed, "Oh my Lord, had You so willed You could have destroyed them _ and me _ earlier. Would You destroy us because of the actions of a few foolish ones amongst us. This was only a trial from You. By that, You lead astray whom You want, and You guide whom You want. You (alone) are our patron! Forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are the very Best of all those who forgive."
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
And Musa (Moses) chose from his people, seventy of his (best) men for Our place of meeting: When they were caught in severe earthquake, he prayed: "O my Lord! If it was Your Will, you could have destroyed, much before, both them and me: Would You destroy us for the actions of the foolish ones among us? This is no more than Your trial: By it You make whom You will to lose the path, and You lead whom You will to the right path. You are our Protector:— So forgive us and give us Your mercy; For You are the Best of those who forgive
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
And Moses chose from his people seventy men for Our appointment. And when the earthquake seized them, he said, "My Lord, if You had willed, You could have destroyed them before and me [as well]. Would You destroy us for what the foolish among us have done? This is not but Your trial by which You send astray whom You will and guide whom You will. You are our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy upon us; and You are the best of forgivers
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
And Moses selected from his people seventy men for Our appointed time; so when the Earthquake seized them, he said: "My Lord, if You wished You could have destroyed them before this, and me as well. Will you destroy us for what the foolish amongst us have done It is all Your test, You misguide with it whom You please and You guide with it whom You please. You are our supporter, so forgive us and have mercy on us; You are the best forgiver."
Abdel Haleem   
Moses chose from his people seventy men for Our appointment, and when they were seized by trembling, he prayed, ‘My Lord, if You had chosen to do so, You could have destroyed them long before this, and me too, so will You now destroy us for what the foolish among us have done? This is only a trial from You- through it, You cause whoever You will to stray and guide whoever You will- and You are our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy on us. You are the best of those who forgive
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
And Musa singled out of his people seventy men for Our appointment, then when the earthquake laid hold of them he said. O my Lord! hadst Thou willed, Thou wouldst have destroyed them afore and me also. wilt Thou destroy Us for that which the foolish ones amongst us have done! lt is only thy trial, whereby thou sendest astray whomsoever Thou wilt and keepest guided whomsoever Thou wilt. Thou art our patron. So forgive us Thou and have mercy on us; and thou art the Best of the forgivers
Ahmed Ali   
Moses chose seventy of his people for the appointment (on Mount Sinai). When they arrived they were seized by a tremor. (Moses) said: "O Lord, if You had so pleased You could have annihilated them and me before this. Will You destroy us for something the foolish among us have done? This is but a trial from You whereby You will lead whom You will astray and guide whom You please. You are our saviour, so forgive us and have mercy on us, for You are the best of forgivers
Aisha Bewley   
Musa chose seventy men from his people for Our appointed time and when the earthquake seized them he said, ´My Lord, if You had willed, You could have destroyed them previously and me as well. Would you destroy us for what the fools among us did? It was only a trial from You by which You misguided those You willed and guided those You willed. You are our Protector so forgive us and have mercy on us. You are the Best of Forgivers.
Ali Ünal   
Moses chose of his people seventy men (to represent them) for Our appointment (on the mountain, in order to ask God for forgiveness for the calf-worship of some among them and to renew their covenant with Him). Then, when the shocking catastrophe seized them, Moses said: "My Lord! Had You so willed, You would have destroyed them before, and me (along with them). Will You now destroy us for what the fools among us have done? This is a trial from You whereby You lead whom You will astray, and whom You will You guide. You are Our Guardian (to Whom we entrust our affairs and on Whom we rely), so forgive us and have mercy on us! You are the Best in forgiving
Ali Quli Qara'i   
Moses chose seventy men from his people for Our tryst, and when the earthquake seized them, he said, ‘My Lord, had You wished, You would have destroyed them and me before. Will You destroy us because of what the fools amongst us have done? It is only Your test by which You lead astray whomever You wish and guide whomever You wish. You are our master, so forgive us and have mercy on us, for You are the best of those who forgive
Hamid S. Aziz   
And Moses chose from his people seventy men for Our appointment; and when the earthquake took them he prayed, "O my Lord! Had you willed, you could have destroyed both them and me before this. Will Thou destroy us for what the fools amongst us have
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
And Moses selected seventy men from his people for Our appointment. So, when the earthquake took them, he said: “My Lord, if You wanted, You could have destroyed them and me before this, do You kill us for what the fools among us did? This is only a test from You, misguiding anyone You want with it and guiding anyone You want, You are our protector (and supporter), so forgive us and have mercy on us, and You are the best of forgivers,
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
And Moses chose seventy of his people for Our meeting place. When they were seized with violent quaking he prayed, “O my Lord, if it had been Your will, You could have caused to perish, long before, both them and me. Would You destroy us all for the deeds of the foolish ones among us? This is no more than Your trial. By it, You cause whom You will to stray, and You lead whom You will onto the right path. You are our Protector, so forgive us and give us Your mercy, for You are the best of those who forgive
Musharraf Hussain   
Then Musa chose seventy men from his people to meet with Us. After a blast had taken them, Musa said, “My Lord, if this is what You wanted, You could have killed them and me long before. Will You now kill us all because of what the fools among us did? This was Your way of testing to let anyone you wish to go astray and anyone You wish to guide; You are our Protector, so forgive us and be kind to us; You are the best Forgiver
Maududi   
And out of his people Moses singled out seventy men for Our appointment. Then, when violent shaking seized them, he addressed his Lord: ´Had You willed, O my Lord, You could have destroyed them and me long ago. Will You destroy us for what the fools amongst us did? That was nothing but a trial from You whereby You mislead whom You will and guide whom You will. You alone are our guardian. Forgive us, then, and have mercy upon us. You are the best of those who forgive
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
And Moses selected from his people seventy men for Our appointed time; so when the earthquake seized them, he said: "My Lord, if You wished You could have destroyed them before this, and me as well. Will you destroy us for what the foolish among us have done? It is all Your test, You misguide with it whom You please and You guide with it whom You please. You are our Supporter, so forgive us and have mercy on us; You are the Best Forgiver."
Mohammad Shafi   
And Moses chose from his people seventy men for the appointment with Us.hSo when the violent shaking seized them, he said, "My Lord! Had You so willed, You could have destroyed them before — and me too. Will You destroy us for what the fools among us have done? It is indeed nothing but a trial from You. You make whom You will to go astray with it and You guide whom You will. You are our Wali. So forgive us and have mercy on us, and You are the best of the forgivers."

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
And Musa chose seventy men of his people for Our promised appointment, then when earthquake overtook them, Musa submitted, 'O my Lord, had You wished, then You would have destroyed them and me before. Will you kill us for what our foolish ones have done'? That is not but your test, whereby you, cause astray whom you will, and guide whom you will. You are our Protector, You forgive us and have mercy upon us, and you are the best of the forgivers.
Rashad Khalifa   
Moses then selected seventy men from among his people, to come to our appointed audience. When the quake shook them, he said, "My Lord, You could have annihilated them in the past, together with me, if You so willed. Would You annihilate us for the deeds of those among us who are foolish? This must be the test that You have instituted for us. With it, You condemn whomever You will, and guide whomever You will. You are our Lord and Master, so forgive us, shower us with Your mercy; You are the best Forgiver.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
Moses chose from among his nation seventy men for Our appointment, and when the quake seized them, Moses said: 'My Lord, had it been Your Will, You would have destroyed them before, and me. Will You destroy us for that which the fools amongst us did? It is only Your trial by which You leave in error whom You will, and guide whom You will. You alone are our Guardian. Forgive us and have mercy on us, You are the Best of those who forgive
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
And Moses chose of his people seventy men for Our appointment. So when the earthquake overtook them, he said: My Lord, if Thou hadst pleased, Thou hadst destroyed them before and myself (too). Wilt Thou destroy us for that which the foolish among us have done? It is naught but Thy trial. Thou causest to perish thereby whom Thou pleasest and guidest whom Thou pleasest. Thou art our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy on us, and Thou art the Best of those who forgive
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira   
And Moses chose (from) his nation seventy men, to Our appointed time/appointed time or place, so when the tremble and shake/quake/agitation took/punished them, he said: "My Lord, if you willed/wanted you made them die/destroyed them from before and (as well as) me, do you make us die/destroy us because (of) what the ignorant/foolish from us make/did? That it is except Your test , You misguide with it whom You will/want, and You guide whom You will/want, You are our guardian/patron , so forgive for us, and have mercy upon us, and You are best (of) the forgiving."
Bijan Moeinian   
Moses then chose seventy men from among his people to come to the next audience of Mine [asking for forgiveness and hoping to receive a new copy of the broken tablets.] When a sever earthquake overtook them, Moses said: "My Lord, if it was your will, you would have destroyed them along with me long time ago. Is it now your will to destroy us all in account of the stupidity of some of us? What happened was really a test for us so that you decide to mislead whoever you want [and naturally deserves] and guide whoever you will. You are our only Protector; please forgive us and have mercy on us as you are the Most Forgiving."
Faridul Haque   
And Moosa chose seventy men from his people for Our promise; therefore when the earthquake seized them, he submitted, "My Lord! If You had willed You could have destroyed them and me, even earlier! Will You destroy us for the deeds which the ignorant among us did? That is not but Your testing us; with it You send astray whomever You will and guide whomever You will; You are our Master, so forgive us and have mercy on us, and You are the Best of the Forgiving."
Sher Ali   
And Moses chose of his people seventy men for Our appointment. But when the earthquake overtook them, he said, `My Lord , if Thou hadst pleased, Thou couldst have destroyed them before this, and me too. Wilt Thou destroy us for that which the foolish among us have done? This is nothing but a trial from Thee. Thou causest to perish thereby whom Thou pleasest and Thou guidest whom Thou pleasest. Thou art our Protector; forgive us then and have mercy upon us and Thou art the Best of those who forgive
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
And Musa (Moses) chose seventy men of his people for a time set by Us (to appear before Our presence for forgiveness), but when a high-scale earthquake seized them (as punishment for not forbidding the people to perpetrate evil), Musa (Moses) submitted: ‘O Lord! If You willed, You would destroy these people and me even before this. Will You cause us to perish for that (omission) which the foolish amongst us have committed? This is just a trial from You by which You hold astray whom You will and guide whom You desire. You alone are our Guardian, so forgive us and have mercy on us. And You are the Best of those who forgive
Amatul Rahman Omar   
Now Moses selected from his people seventy men (to take with him) to Our appointed place and time, but when the earthquake seized them he said, `My Lord! if You so willed You could have destroyed them as well as me before (this). But would You destroy us on account of that which the foolish among us have done? This (matter of the calf) is nothing but (an ordeal from You) that You may distinguish the good from the bad (of us). You adjudge, by such means, to be astray whomsoever You will and You guide whomsoever You will. You are our Patron, protect us therefore, and have mercy on us, for You are the Best of Protectors (against the consequence of our faults)
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
And Moosa (Moses) chose out of his people seventy (of the best) men for Our appointed time and place of meeting, and when they were seized with a violent earthquake, he said: "O my Lord, if it had been Your Will, You could have destroyed them and me before; would You destroy us for the deeds of the foolish ones among us? It is only Your Trial by which You lead astray whom You will, and keep guided whom You will. You are our Walee (Protector), so forgive us and have Mercy on us, for You are the Best of those who forgive

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
Arthur John Arberry   
And Moses chose of his people seventy men for Our appointed time; and when the earthquake seized them, he said, 'My Lord, hadst Thou willed Thou wouldst have destroyed them before, and me. Wilt Thou destroy us for what the foolish ones of us have done? It is only Thy trial, whereby Thou leadest astray whom Thou wilt, and guidest whom Thou wilt. Thou art our Protector; so forgive us, and have mercy on us, for Thou art the best of forgivers
George Sale   
And Moses chose of his people seventy men for Our appointment. But when the earthquake overtook them, he said, 'My Lord, if Thou hadst pleased, Thou couldst have destroyed them before this, and me too. Wilt Thou destroy us for that which the foolish among us have done? This is nothing but a trial from Thee. Thou causest to perish thereby whom Thou pleasest and Thou guidest whom Thou pleasest. Thou art our Protector; forgive us then and have mercy upon us and Thou art the Best of those who forgive
Edward Henry Palmer   
And Moses chose from his people seventy men for our appointment; and when the earthquake took them he said, 'O my Lord! hadst Thou willed, Thou hadst destroyed them before and me. Wilt Thou destroy us for what the fools amongst us have done? This is naught but Thy trial, wherewith Thou dost lead astray whom Thou pleasest and guidest whom Thou pleasest; Thou art our patron! forgive us and have mercy on us, for Thou art the best of those who do forgive
John Medows Rodwell   
And Moses chose seventy men of his people for a meeting appointed by us. And when the earthquake overtook them, he said, "O my Lord! if it had been thy pleasure, thou hadst destroyed them and me ere this! wilt thou destroy us for what our foolish ones have done? It is nought but thy trial: thou wilt mislead by it whom thou wilt, and guide whom thou wilt. Our guardian, thou! Forgive us then and have mercy on us; for of those who forgive art thou the best
N J Dawood (2014)   
And Moses chose from among his people seventy men¹ for Our appointed time and, when the earth shook them, said: ‘Had it been Your will, Lord, You could have destroyed them long ago, and myself too. But would You destroy us because of what the fools among us did? That trial was ordained by You, to confound whom You willed and to guide whom You pleased. You alone are our guardian. Forgive us and have mercy on us: You are the best of those who forgive

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Fode Drame   
And then Moses chose seventy men out of his people for Our tryst. But when the quake seized them, he said, “O my Lord! If You so willed, You could have destroyed them before as well as me. Will you destroy us for that which the weak-minded from among us did? It is but Your trial by which you cause whom you please to go astray and [by which] you guide whom you please. You are our ally therefore forgive us and have mercy on us and You are the best of those who forgive.”
Munir Mezyed   
Moses chose out of his people seventy men for Our Appointment. So when the earthquake overtook them, he said: "My Lord, if it had been Your will, You could have destroyed them long ago, and me as well. Will you destroy us for that which the foolish among us have done? It is only Your trial by which You allow to go astray whom You will, and give Your light to whom You will. So deliver us from all the consequences of our iniquitous deeds, and show Mercy towards us, for You are the Best of those who forgive.
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher   
And Musa (Moses) chose seventy men from his people to meet Us, and when the trembling overtook them he said: My Lord, if you willed, You could have destroyed them and me before, are You going to destroy us on account of what the fools amongst us did? This is only Your test by which You lead astray whom You will and guide whom You will; You are our protector, so forgive us and have mercy on us, and You are the best of those who forgive.
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation   
And Moses chose from his people seventy men for Our appointment, then when the Tremor overtook them, he said, “My Lord, had You willed, You could have annihilated them before, and me too. Will you annihilate us for what the fools among us have done? This is but Your test—with it You lead astray whomever You will and guide whomever You will; You are our Ultimate Guardian, so forgive us and have mercy on us, and You are the best of forgivers.
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
Moses chose seventy of his people for Our meeting. They experienced an earthquake. He prayed, “O my Lord, if it had been Your will, You could have destroyed me and them long ago. Would you destroy all of us now because of the deeds of the foolish ones among us? This is only Your test. You allow whom You want to stray. You guide whom You will. You are our Guardian. Forgive us and have mercy upon us. You are the best among those who forgive.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
Moses chose his people, seventy men, for an appointment with Us. When the Tremor seized them, he said: "My Lord, even though You may have wished to wipe them out and myself (as well) earlier, are You wiping us out just because of what some fools among us have done? It is only Your manner of testing: You let anyone You wish to, go astray by means of it, and let anyone You wish, to be guided. You are our Patron, so pardon us and show us mercy; You are the best Pardoner.
Samy Mahdy   
And Moses selected from his kinfolk seventy men for our appointment time. So, when the trembling took them, he said, “My Lord, had you willed, you could have destroyed them before, and thee me too. Will you destroy us with what the imbecilic among us have done? Surely it is only your infatuation with it you astray whoever you will, and guide whoever you will. You are our Guardian, so forgive us, and mercy us. You are The Best of The Forgivers.”
Sayyid Qutb   
Moses chose out of his people seventy men to come at a time set by Us. Then, when they were seized by violent trembling, he said: “My Lord, had it been Your will, You could have destroyed them, and myself too, long ago. Would You destroy us because of what the weak-minded among us have done? This is only a trial You have ordained, whereby You allow to go astray whom You will, and You guide aright whom You will. You alone are our guardian: grant us, then, forgiveness and bestow mercy on us. You are the best of all those who do forgive.
Thomas Cleary   
Moses chose seventy of his people for an appointment with God: and when violent shaking seized them, he said, "My Lord! If You wished, You could have already destroyed them, and me as well: will You destroy us for the deeds of the ignorant fools among us?
Ahmed Hulusi   
Moses chose seventy men among his people to go to the appointed place to repent... When a severe earthquake seized them, (Moses) said, “My Rabb... Had You willed, You could have destroyed both them and I (for covering the reality) before! Will You destroy us now for the actions of the foolish (limited in intellect) among us? This is only your provocation (trial) with which You lead astray whom You will and guide whom You will... You are our Waliyy (guardian). Forgive us and bestow Your grace upon us... You are the best of forgivers.”
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli   
And Moses chose seventy men from his people for Our tryst, and when the earthquake overtook them, he said: � O� Lord! had You pleased, You could have destroyed them and me before. Will You destroy us because of what the fools of us have done? It is naught but Your trial, whereby You cause to stray whomever You wish and guide whomever You wish. You are our master, so forgive us and have mercy on us, for You are the best of the forgivers
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur‘an al-Karim   
There, did Mussa choose from the innocent among his people seventy persons, in compliance with Allah's command to present themselves at the divine assignation. When they gathered at the arranged time and place, fearful echoes thundered in their ears and the earth's surface convulsed under their feet as an expression of strong divine reproach against those among them who committed themselves to the most evil conduct. There and then did Mussa pray, thus: "O Allah, my Creator: had You willed you would have planted their Hereafter and mine before now". "Would you destroy us in requital of the evil committed by the simpleton among us!". " It is Your means of trial, You use it to subject people to the test and consequently deafen the hearts' ears of whom You will and open the minds' eyes of whom You will, You are our Tutelary Protector". "We beseech you to forgive us and to have mercy on us; You are the Most Merciful of all who forgive"
Mir Aneesuddin   
And Musa chose seventy men from his people for Our appointed time/place, then when the earthquake took hold of them, he said, "My Fosterer ! if You had willed You could have destroyed them before along with me. Will You destroy us for what the fools among us did? This is nothing but Your testing (us), through it You lead astray whom You will and You guide whom You will, You are our Guardian, therefore protectively forgive us and have mercy on us and You are the Best of those who protectively forgive.
The Wise Quran   
And Moses chose from his people seventy men for Our appointed place; and when the earthquake seized them he said, 'My Lord! Had you willed, you would have destroyed them before and me. Will you destroy us for what the fools amongst us did? It is not except Your trial, with it you lead astray whom you will and guide whom you will; You are our patron. So forgive us and have mercy on us, and You are the best of those who forgive.

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
And Moses chose seventy of his people for Our place of meeting: when they were seized with violent quaking, he prayed: "O my Lord! if it had been Thy will Thou couldst have destroyed, long before, both them and me: wouldst Thou destroy us for the deeds of the foolish ones among us? this is no more than Thy trial: by it Thou causest whom Thou wilt to stray, and Thou leadest whom Thou wilt into the right path. Thou art our Protector: so forgive us and give us Thy mercy; for Thou art the best of those who forgive
OLD Literal Word for Word   
And chose Musa (from) his people seventy men for Our appointment. Then when seized them the earthquake he said, "O my Lord! If You (had) willed, You (could) have destroyed the before and me. Would You destroy us for what did the foolish among us? Not it (was) but Your trial, You let go astray by it whom You will and You guide whom You will. You (are) our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy upon us, and You (are) Best (of) Forgivers
OLD Transliteration   
Waikhtara moosa qawmahu sabAAeena rajulan limeeqatina falamma akhathat-humu alrrajfatu qala rabbi law shi/ta ahlaktahum min qablu wa-iyyaya atuhlikuna bima faAAala alssufahao minna in hiya illa fitnatuka tudillu biha man tashao watahdee man tashao anta waliyyuna faighfir lana wairhamna waanta khayru alghafireena