۞ Have you not seen those who fled their homes in their thousands for fear of death, whereupon God said to them, "Die!" and later brought them back to life? Surely God is bountiful to mankind, but most of them are ungrateful. 243 And fight in Allah's cause and know well that Allah is All Hearing, All Knowing. 244 Who is it that will offer of Allah a goodly gift, so He will multiply it to him manifold, and Allah straitens and amplifies, and you shall be returned to Him. 245 Have you not seen the congregation of the Children of Israel who demanded of one of their Prophets after (the death of) Moses? 'Raise up for us a king' they said, 'and we will fight in the way of Allah' He replied: 'Might it be that if fighting is written for you, you will not fight' 'Why shouldn't we fight in the way of Allah' they replied, 'when we and all our children have been driven from our dwellings' Yet, when fighting was written for them all except for a few, turned away. And Allah has knowledge of the harmdoers. 246 Their Prophet said to them: "Allah hath appointed Talut as king over you." They said: "How can he exercise authority over us when we are better fitted than he to exercise authority, and he is not even gifted, with wealth in abundance?" He said: "Allah hath Chosen him above you, and hath gifted him abundantly with knowledge and bodily prowess: Allah Granteth His authority to whom He pleaseth. Allah careth for all, and He knoweth all things." 247 And their Prophet said to them, 'The sign of his kingship is that the Ark will come to you, in it a Shechina from your Lord, and a remnant of what the folk of Moses and Aaron's folk left behind, the angels bearing it. Surely in that shall be a sign for you, if you are believers.' 248