AND HAS the story of Abraham's honoured guests ever come within thy ken? 24 When they came in to him, and said, "Salam, (peace be upon you)!" He answered; "Salam, (peace be upon you)," and said: "You are a people unknown to me," 25 Then he turned away privately unto his household, and brought a calf fatted. 26 and laid it before them, saying: “Will you not eat?” 27 [And when he saw that the guests would not eat,] he became apprehensive of them; [but] they said, "Fear not" - and gave him the glad tiding of [the birth of] a son who would be endowed with deep knowledge. 28 But his wife came forward (laughing) aloud: she smote her forehead and said: "A barren old woman!" 29 'Such, says your Lord' they replied: 'He is the Wise, the Knower' 30 ۞ Said he, 'And what is your business, envoys?' 31 They replied: 'We are sent to a sinful nation, 32 so that we may bring down upon them a shower of stones of clay, 33 “That are kept marked, with your Lord, for the transgressors.” 34 Then We evacuated there from all the believers 35 We found in it only one household of true believers -- 36 And We left there a Sign for such as fear the Grievous Penalty. 37 And in Moses [was a sign], when We sent him to Pharaoh with clear authority. 38 but he turned his back with his Assembly, saying: 'He is (either) a sorcerer or a mad man' 39 So We took him and his soldiers and cast them into the sea, and he was blameworthy. 40 And also in Ad, when We loosed against them the withering wind 41 Which turned everything it touched to ashes. 42 In the Thamud [there was another sign], when they were told, "Make the most of your lives for a while." 43 But they rebelled against the command of their Lord. So the thunderbolt overtook them while they looked on: 44 So they were not able to stand, nor could they help themselves. 45 And the folk of Noah aforetime. Lo! they were licentious folk. 46