O Children of Israel: remember My favour wherewith I favoured you, and that verily I preferred you over the world. 47 And be on your guard against a day when one soul shall not avail another in the least, neither shall intercession on its behalf be accepted, nor shall any compensation be taken from it, nor shall they be helped. 48 Remember, We saved you from the Pharaoh's people who wronged and oppressed you and slew your sons but spared your women: In this was a great favour from your Lord. 49 and when We cleft the sea before you, and thus saved you and caused Pharaoh's people to drown before your very eyes; 50 And [recall] when We made an appointment with Moses for forty nights. Then you took [for worship] the calf after him, while you were wrongdoers. 51 Then We pardoned you thereafter, that haply ye may return thanks. 52 Remember that (at that very time, when you were committing this gross iniquity) We gave Moses the Book and the criterion of right and wrong so that you might be guided aright. 53 And when Musa said to his people: O my people! you have surely been unjust to yourselves by taking the calf (for a god), therefore turn to your Creator (penitently), so kill your people, that is best for you with your Creator: so He turned to you (mercifully), for surely He is the Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful. 54 And when you said to Moses: 'We will not believe in you until we see Allah openly' a thunderbolt struck you whilst you were looking. 55 Then We raised you up after you were dead, that haply you should be thankful. 56 And We caused the clouds to comfort you with their shade, and sent down unto you manna and quails; [saying,] "Partake of the good things which We have provided for you as sustenance." And [by all their sinning] they did no harm unto Us - but [only] against their own selves did they sin. 57 Then call to mind the time when We said, "Go into the town' before you and eat to your hearts' content therein, wherefrom you will, but enter the gate bowing down with humility, repeating 'hittatun'; We will forgive your sins and increase the reward of the righteous". 58 But those who were bent on evildoing substituted another saying for that which had been given them: and so We sent down upon those evildoers a plague from heaven in requital for all their iniquity. 59