۞ O Messenger, deliver whatever has been sent down to you by your Lord. If you do not do so, you will not have conveyed His message. God will defend you from mankind. For God does not guide those who deny the truth. 67 Say: "O followers of the Bible! You have no valid ground for your beliefs - unless you [truly] observe the Torah and the Gospel, and all that has been bestowed from on high upon you by your Sustainer!" Yet all that has been bestowed from on high upon thee [O Prophet] by thy Sustainer is bound to make many of them yet more stubborn in their overweening arrogance and in their denial of the truth. But sorrow not over people who deny the truth: 68 Indeed those who call themselves Muslims – and similarly among the Jews, and the Sabeans, and the Christians* – whoever sincerely accepts faith in Allah and the Last Day, and does good deeds – so there shall be no fear upon them nor shall they grieve. (Whoever among them converts to Islam). 69 We made a covenant with the Israelites and sent Messengers to them. Whenever a Messenger came to them with a message which did not suit their desires, they would reject some of the Messengers and kill others. 70 thinking that no harm would come from it. Thus they became blind and deaf (to the Truth). Thereafter Allah turned towards them in gracious forgiveness; but many of them became even more deaf and blind (to the Truth). Allah sees all that they do. 71 They are unbelievers who say, 'God is the Messiah, Mary's son.' For the Messiah said, 'Children of Israel, serve God, my Lord and your Lord. Verily whoso associates with God anything, God shall prohibit him entrance to Paradise, and his refuge shall be the Fire; and wrongdoers shall have no helpers.' 72 Certainly they disbelieve who say: Surely Allah is the third (person) of the three; and there is no god but the one Allah, and if they desist not from what they say, a painful chastisement shall befall those among them who disbelieve. 73 Will they not rather turn unto Allah and seek forgiveness of Him? For Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. 74 The Messiah, the son of Maryam, is purely a Noble Messenger; many Noble Messengers have passed before him; and his mother is a truthful woman; they both used to eat food; see how We make the signs clear for them, and see how they turn away! 75 Say: "Would you worship, beside God, aught that has no power either to harm or to benefit you - when God alone is all-hearing, all-knowing?" 76 Say: "O followers of the Gospel! Do not overstep the bounds [of truth] in your religious beliefs; and do not follow the errant views of people who have gone astray aforetime, and have led many [others] astray, and are still straying from the right path." 77