The unbelievers said to their apostles: "We shall drive you out of our land, or else you come back to our fold." Their Lord then communicated to them: "We shall annihilate these wicked people, 13 and most certainly shall We cause you to dwell on earth [long] after they have passed away: this is [My promise] unto all who stand in awe of My presence, and stand in awe of My warning!" 14 And they sought help (from their Lord) and every froward potentate was bought to naught; 15 Hell is before him, and he is made to drink a festering water, 16 He will drink it little by little and will not be able to swallow it agreeably, and death will come to him from every quarter, but he shall not die; and there shall be vehement chastisement before him. 17 The deeds of those who deny the existence of their Lord are like ashes blown about by a strong wind on a stormy day. They will achieve nothing from their deeds. (What they have done) is a manifest error. 18 Do you not see that God has created the heavens and the earth for a purpose? He can eliminate you if He wills and bring into being a new creation: 19 And for Allah that is not hard. 20 And all [mankind] will appear before God [on the Day of Judgment]; and then the weak will say unto those who had gloried in their arrogance: "Behold, We were but your followers: can you, then, relieve us of something of God's chastisement?" [And the others] will answer: "If God would but show us the way [to salvation,] we would indeed guide you [towards it]. It is [now] all one, as far as we are concerned, whether we grieve impatiently or endure [our lot] with patience: there is no escape for us!" 21