[And thus will God continue:] "O you who have lived in close communion with [evil] invisible beings and [like-minded] humans! Have there not come unto you apostles from among yourselves, who conveyed unto you My messages and warned you of the coming of this your Day [of Judgment]?" They will answer: "We do bear witness against ourselves!" - for the life of this world had beguiled them: and so they will bear witness against themselves that they had been denying the truth. 130 (They will be made to bear this witness to show that) it is not the way of your Lord to destroy cities unjustly while their people were unaware of the Truth. 131 And for all are degrees from what they have done. And your Lord is not unaware of what they do. 132 Your Lord is Self-sufficient and Merciful. Had He wanted, He could have destroyed you and replaced you by other people, just as He had created you from the offspring of others. 133 That which you are promised shall surely come to pass and you cannot prevent it. 134 Say (O Muhammad!): 'O people! Work in your place; and I too am at work. Soon you will know in whose favour the ultimate decision will be. Surely the wrong-doers will not prosper.' 135 They set aside for God a share in what He has produced, such as crops and livestock, and they say, "This is for God," so they claim!, and "this is for our associate-gods?" Their associate-gods' share does not reach God, whereas God's share reaches their associate-gods. How ill they judge! 136 In the same way have their companions shown many unbelievers the killing of their children as desirable in order to ruin them and falsify their faith. If God had so willed they would never have done so. Leave them to their falsehoods. 137 They also say: "These cattle and these crops are consecrated. None may eat of them other than those we permit," -- so they assert. "And the use of these cattle is forbidden for carrying burden." They do not pronounce the name of God on certain animals, inventing lies against Him. He will punish them for what they fabricate. 138 They say, "What is in the wombs of such and such cattle is exclusively for our males and is forbidden to our females. But if it is stillborn, they may have a share of it." God will soon punish them for their [false] attribution. He is wise, and all-knowing. 139 Losers indeed are they who kill their children foolishly and without knowledge and declare as forbidden what God has provided for them as sustenance -- a fabrication against God: they have gone astray and have not chosen to be rightly guided. 140