they have only to wait for one single blast [of punishment]: it shall not be delayed by one whit. 15 And they say: O our Lord! hasten on to us our portion before the day of reckoning. 16 Bear with what they say, and remember Our bondman David, lord of might, Lo! he was ever turning in repentance (toward Allah). 17 Surely We made the mountains to sing the glory (of Allah) in unison with him at the evening and the sunrise, 18 And the birds also, gathering all oft-returning onto Him on his account. 19 We made his kingdom strong and gave him wisdom and decisive speech. 20 ۞ AND YET, has the story of the litigants come within thy ken - [the story of the two] who surmounted the walls of the sanctuary [in which David prayed]? 21 As they came upon David, and he shrank back in fear from them, they said: "Fear not! [We are but] two litigants. One of us has wronged the other: so judge thou between us with justice, and deviate not from what is right, and show [both of] us the way to rectitude. 22 'Behold, this my brother has ninety-nine ewes, and I have one ewe. So he said, "Give her into my charge"; and he overcame me in the argument.' 23 Da-ud said: assuredly he hath wronged thee in demanding thine ewe in addition to his ewes, and verily many of the partners oppress each other save such as believe and work righteous works, and few are they. And Da-ud imagined that We had tried him; so he asked forgiveness of his Lord, and he fell down bowing and turned in penitence. ۩ 24 We forgave him his sins. His reward will be nearness to Us, a good place to return to. 25 [And We said:] "O David! Behold, We have made thee a [prophet and thus, Our] vicegerent on earth: judge, then, between men with justice, and do not follow vain desire, lest it lead thee astray from the path of God: verily, for those who go astray from the path of God there is suffering severe in store for having forgotten the Day of Reckoning!" 26