S:  They said:  Be not afraid, surely we give you the good news of a boy, possessing knowledge.

015.054 Y:  He said:  “Do ye give me glad tidings that old age has seized me?  Of what, then, is your good news?”

P:  He said:  Bring ye me good tidings (of a son) when old age hath overtaken me?  Of what then can ye bring good tidings?

S:  He said:  Do you give me good news (of a son) when old age has come upon me?—­ Of what then do you give me good news!

015.055 Y:  They said:  “We give thee glad tidings in truth:  be not then in despair!”

P:  They said:  We bring thee good tidings in truth.  So be not thou of the despairing.

S:  They said:  We give you good news with truth, therefore be not of the despairing.

015.056 Y:  He said:  “And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord, but such as go astray?”

P:  He said:  And who despaireth of the mercy of his Lord save those who are astray?

S:  He said:  And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord but the erring ones?

015.057 Y:  Abraham said:  “What then is the business on which ye (have come), O ye messengers (of Allah)?”

P:  He said:  And afterward what is your business, O ye messengers (of Allah)?

S:  He said:  What is your business then, O messengers?

015.058 Y:  They said:  “We have been sent to a people (deep) in sin,”

P:  They said:  We have been sent unto a guilty folk,

S:  They said:  Surely we are sent towards a guilty people,

015.059 Y:  “Excepting the adherents of Lut:  them we are certainly (charged) to save (from harm),- All -”

P:  (All) save the family of Lot.  Them we shall deliver every one,

S:  Except Lut’s followers:  We will most surely deliver them all,

015.060 Y:  “Except his wife, who, We have ascertained, will be among those who will lag behind.”

P:  Except his wife, of whom We had decreed that she should be of those who stay behind.

S:  Except his wife; We ordained that she shall surely be of those who remain behind.

015.061 Y:  At length when the messengers arrived among the adherents of Lut,

P:  And when the messengers came unto the family of Lot,

S:  So when the messengers came to Lut’s followers,

015.062 Y:  He said:  “Ye appear to be uncommon folk.”

P:  He said:  Lo! ye are folk unknown (to me).

S:  He said:  Surely you are an unknown people.

015.063 Y:  They said:  “Yea, we have come to thee to accomplish that of which they doubt.”

P:  They said:  Nay, but we bring thee that concerning which they keep disputing,

S:  They said:  Nay, we have come to you with that about which they disputed.

015.064 Y:  “We have brought to thee that which is inevitably due, and assuredly we tell the truth.”

P:  And bring thee the Truth, and lo! we are truth-tellers.