۞ And assuredly We gave David grace from Us, (saying): O ye hills and birds, echo his psalms of praise! And We made the iron supple unto him, 10 [and inspired him thus:] "Do good deeds lavishly, without stint, and give deep thought to their steady flow." And [thus should you all, O believers,] do righteous deeds: for, verily, I see all that you do! 11 And to Solomon (We made) the Wind (obedient): Its early morning (stride) was a month's (journey), and its evening (stride) was a month's (journey); and We made a Font of molten brass to flow for him; and there were Jinns that worked in front of him, by the leave of his Lord, and if any of them turned aside from our command, We made him taste of the Penalty of the Blazing Fire. 12 They worked for him whatsoever he pleased of lofty halls and statues and basins like cisterns and cauldrons standing firm. Work ye, house of Da'ud! with thanksgiving; few of My bondmen are thankful. 13 So when We sent the command of death towards him, no one revealed his death to the jinns except the termite of the earth which ate his staff; and when he came to the ground, the truth about the jinns was exposed – if they had known the hidden, they would not have remained in the disgraceful toil. 14 INDEED, in [the luxuriant beauty of] their homeland, the people of Sheba had an evidence [of God's grace] two [vast expanses of] gardens, to the right and to the left, [calling out to them, as it were:] "Eat of what your Sustainer has provided for you, and render thanks unto Him: a land most goodly, and a Sustainer much-forgiving!" 15 But they turned away. So We let loose on them the inundation of (the dyke of) al-'Arim, replacing their gardens with two other gardens which bore only bitter gourd, and tamarisks and a few sparse lote-trees. 16 We gave them this reward – the recompense of their ingratitude; and whom do We punish, except the ungrateful? 17 And We had made several towns upon the road between them and the towns which We had blessed – and kept them according to the length of the journey; “Travel safely in them, by night and by day.” 18 Then they said: Our Lord make the distance between our journeys longer. And they wronged themselves. Wherefore We made them bywords and dispersed them with a total dispersion. Verily herein are signs for every persevering, grateful person. 19 Iblis found his estimate of them to be true, and they followed him, except a party of the believers. 20 Yet he had no authority over them except that We would know who believed in the Everlasting Life, from he who doubted. Your Lord is the Watcher over all things. 21