And when thy Lord called Moses, saying: Go unto the wrongdoing folk, 10 The people of Pharaoh. Will they not fear Allah?" 11 He said: my Lord! verily I fear they shall belie me. 12 and then my breast will be straitened and my tongue will not be free: send, then, [this Thy command] to Aaron. 13 They hold a sin against me, and I fear that they will kill me' 14 He said: "Certainly not! So go both of you with Our Signs. We shall be with you listening to everything. 15 Go to Pharaoh, both of you, and say, 'We are messengers from the Lord of the Worlds: 16 let the Children of Israel go with us!'" 17 The Pharaoh said, "Did we not bring you up in our home as an infant and did you not live with us for many years 18 And yet thou didst commit that [heinous] deed of thine, and [hast thus shown that] thou art one of the ingrate!" 19 Replied [Moses]: "I committed it while I was still going astray; 20 Then I ran away from you in fear, but my Lord granted me the law and has appointed me as a Messenger. 21 But the favour you oblige me with is that you have enslaved the children of Israel." 22 The Pharaoh asked, "Who is the Lord of the Universe?" 23 Moses answered: "The Lord of the heavens and the earth and of all that is between them, if you were only to believe." 24 Fir'aun (Pharaoh) said to those around: "Do you not hear (what he says)?" 25 Moses went on, "He is your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers." 26 (Pharaoh) said: Lo! your messenger who hath been sent unto you is indeed a madman! 27 'He is the Lord of the East and the West' said he (Moses), 'and all that is between them, if you could understand' 28 Said he: If you will take a god besides me, I will most certainly make you one of the imprisoned. 29 Moses asked, "What if I were to bring you clear proof (of the existence of God)?" 30 [Pharaoh] said, "Then bring it, if you should be of the truthful." 31 So (Moses) cast his staff, and lo, it turned into a living serpent. 32 And he drew forth his hand, and lo! it appeared white to the onlookers. 33