S:  Surely they who concocted the lie are a party from among you.  Do not regard it an evil to you; nay, it is good for you.  Every man of them shall have what he has earned of sin; and (as for) him who took upon himself the main part thereof, he shall have a grievous chastisement.

024.012 Y:  Why did not the believers — men and women — when ye heard of the affair,- put the best construction on it in their own minds and say, “This (charge) is an obvious lie”?

P:  Why did not the believers, men and women, when ye heard it, think good of their own folk, and say:  It is a manifest untruth?

S:  Why did not the believing men and the believing women, when you heard it, think well of their own people, and say:  This is an evident falsehood?

024.013 Y:  Why did they not bring four witnesses to prove it?  When they have not brought the witnesses, such men, in the sight of Allah, (stand forth) themselves as liars!

P:  Why did they not produce four witnesses?  Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.

S:  Why did they not bring four witnesses of it?  But as they have not brought witnesses they are liars before Allah.

024.014 Y:  Were it not for the grace and mercy of Allah on you, in this world and the Hereafter, a grievous penalty would have seized you in that ye rushed glibly into this affair.

P:  Had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy unto you in the world and the Hereafter an awful doom had overtaken you for that whereof ye murmured.

S:  And were it not for Allah’s grace upon you and His mercy in this world and the hereafter, a grievous chastisement would certainly have touched you on account of the discourse which you entered into.

024.015 Y:  Behold, ye received it on your tongues, and said out of your mouths things of which ye had no knowledge; and ye thought it to be a light matter, while it was most serious in the sight of Allah.

P:  When ye welcomed it with your tongues, and uttered with your mouths that whereof ye had no knowledge, ye counted it a trifle.  In the sight of Allah it is very great.

S:  When you received it with your tongues and spoke with your mouths what you had no knowledge of, and you deemed it an easy matter while with Allah it was grievous.

024.016 Y:  And why did ye not, when ye heard it, say? — “It is not right of us to speak of this:  Glory to Allah! this is a most serious slander!”

P:  Wherefor, when ye heard it, said ye not:  It is not for us to speak of this.  Glory be to Thee (O Allah)!  This is awful calumny.

S:  And why did you not, when you heard it, say:  It does not beseem us that we should talk of it; glory be to Thee! this is a great calumny?

024.017 Y:  Allah doth admonish you, that ye may never repeat such (conduct), if ye are (true) Believers.

P:  Allah admonisheth you that ye repeat not the like thereof ever, if ye are (in truth) believers.