The people of the Book ask thee to bring down a Book to them from the heaven. But surely they asked Musa a thing greater than that; they said: shew us God manifestly; whencefore the thunderbolt overtook them for their wrong-doing. Then they took a calf after there had come unto them the evidences. Even so We pardoned that, and We gave Musa a manifest authority. 153 and We raised the Mount high above them and took from them a covenant (to obey the commandment), and ordered them: 'Enter the gate in the state of prostration.' And We said to them: 'Do not violate the law of the Sabbath', and took from them a firm covenant. 154 So, for their breaking the compact, and disbelieving in the signs of God, and slaying the Prophets without right, and for their saying, 'Our hearts are uncircumcised' -- nay, but God sealed them for their unbelief, so they believe not, except a few -- 155 And because they denied and spoke dreadful calumnies of Mary; 156 and their statement that they murdered Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of God, when, in fact, they could not have murdered him or crucified him. They, in fact, murdered someone else by mistake. Even those who disputed (the question of whether or not Jesus was murdered) did not have a shred of evidence. All that they knew about it was mere conjecture. They certainly could not have murdered Jesus. 157 nay, God exalted him unto Himself - and God is indeed almighty, wise. 158 There will be no one among the People of the Book who will not believe (a belief of no value) in him (Jesus) before their deaths. On the Day of Judgment, (Jesus) will testify against them. 159 Because of the wrongdoings of the Jews, We forbade them certain good things that had been allowed to them before; for having frequently debarred others from God's path; 160 And [for] their taking of usury while they had been forbidden from it, and their consuming of the people's wealth unjustly. And we have prepared for the disbelievers among them a painful punishment. 161 But those of them that are firmly rooted in knowledge, and the believers believing in what has been sent down to thee, and what was sent down before thee, that perform the prayer and pay the alms, and those who believe in God and the Last Day - them We shall surely give a mighty wage. 162