Three Translations of The Koran (Al-Qur'an) side by side Part 101

012.022 Y: When Joseph attained His full manhood, We gave him power and knowledge: thus do We reward those who do right.

P: And when he reached his prime We gave him wisdom and knowledge.

Thus We reward the good.

S: And when he had attained his maturity, We gave him wisdom and knowledge: and thus do We reward those who do good.

012.023 Y: But she in whose house he was, sought to seduce him from his (true) self: she fastened the doors, and said: "Now come, thou (dear one)!" He said: "Allah forbid! truly (thy husband) is my lord! he made my sojourn agreeable! truly to no good come those who do wrong!"

P: And she, in whose house he was, asked of him an evil act. She bolted the doors and said: Come! He said: I seek refuge in Allah! Lo! he is my lord, who hath treated me honourably. Lo! wrong-doers never prosper.

S: And she in whose house he was sought to make himself yield (to her), and she made fast the doors and said: Come forward. He said: I seek Allah's refuge, surely my Lord made good my abode: Surely the unjust do not prosper.

012.024 Y: And (with pa.s.sion) did she desire him, and he would have desired her, but that he saw the evidence of his Lord: thus (did We order) that We might turn away from him (all) evil and shameful deeds: for he was one of Our servants, sincere and purified.

P: She verily desired him, and he would have desired her if it had not been that he saw the argument of his Lord. Thus it was, that We might ward off from him evil and lewdness. Lo! he was of Our chosen slaves.

S: And certainly she made for him, and he would have made for her, were it not that he had seen the manifest evidence of his Lord; thus (it was) that We might turn away from him evil and indecency, surely he was one of Our sincere servants.

012.025 Y: So they both raced each other to the door, and she tore his s.h.i.+rt from the back: they both found her lord near the door. She said: "What is the (fitting) punishment for one who formed an evil design against thy wife, but prison or a grievous chastis.e.m.e.nt?"

P: And they raced with one another to the door, and she tore his s.h.i.+rt from behind, and they met her lord and master at the door. She said: What shall be his reward, who wisheth evil to thy folk, save prison or a painful doom?

S: And they both hastened to the door, and she rent his s.h.i.+rt from behind and they met her husband at the door. She said: What is the punishment of him who intends evil to your wife except imprisonment or a painful chastis.e.m.e.nt?

012.026 Y: He said: "It was she that sought to seduce me - from my (true) self."

And one of her household saw (this) and bore witness, (thus):- "If it be that his s.h.i.+rt is rent from the front, then is her tale true, and he is a liar!"

P: (Joseph) said: She it was who asked of me an evil act. And a witness of her own folk testified: If his s.h.i.+rt is torn from before, then she speaketh truth and he is of the liars.

S: He said: She sought to make me yield (to her); and a witness of her own family bore witness: If his s.h.i.+rt is rent from front, she speaks the truth and he is one of the liars:

012.027 Y: "But if it be that his s.h.i.+rt is torn from the back, then is she the liar, and he is telling the truth!"

P: And if his s.h.i.+rt is torn from behind, then she hath lied and he is of the truthful.

S: And if his s.h.i.+rt is rent from behind, she tells a lie and he is one of the truthful.

012.028 Y: So when he saw his s.h.i.+rt,- that it was torn at the back,- (her husband) said: "Behold! It is a snare of you women! truly, mighty is your snare!"

P: So when he saw his s.h.i.+rt torn from behind, he said: Lo! this is of the guile of you women. Lo! the guile of you is very great.

S: So when he saw his s.h.i.+rt rent from behind, he said: Surely it is a guile of you women; surely your guile is great:

012.029 Y: "O Joseph, pa.s.s this over! (O wife), ask forgiveness for thy sin, for truly thou hast been at fault!"

P: O Joseph! Turn away from this, and thou, (O woman), ask forgiveness for thy sin. Lo! thou art of the faulty.

S: O Yusuf! turn aside from this; and (O my wife)! ask forgiveness for your fault, surely you are one of the wrong-doers.

012.030 Y: Ladies said in the City: "The wife of the (great) 'Aziz is seeking to seduce her slave from his (true) self: Truly hath he inspired her with violent love: we see she is evidently going astray."

P: And women in the city said: The ruler's wife is asking of her slave-boy an ill-deed. Indeed he has smitten her to the heart with love. We behold her in plain aberration.

S: And women in the city said: The chief's wife seeks her slave to yield himself (to her), surely he has affected her deeply with (his) love; most surely we see her in manifest error.

012.031 Y: When she heard of their malicious talk, she sent for them and prepared a banquet for them: she gave each of them a knife: and she said (to Joseph), "Come out before them." When they saw him, they did extol him, and (in their amazement) cut their hands: they said, "Allah preserve us! no mortal is this! this is none other than a n.o.ble angel!"

P: And when she heard of their sly talk, she sent to them and prepared for them a cus.h.i.+oned couch (to lie on at the feast) and gave to every one of them a knife and said (to Joseph): Come out unto them! And when they saw him they exalted him and cut their hands, exclaiming: Allah Blameless! This is no a human being. This is not other than some gracious angel.

S: So when she heard of their sly talk she sent for them and prepared for them a repast, and gave each of them a knife, and said (to Yusuf): Come forth to them. So when they saw him, they deemed him great, and cut their hands (in amazement), and said: Remote is Allah (from imperfection); this is not a mortal; this is but a n.o.ble angel.

012.032 Y: She said: "There before you is the man about whom ye did blame me! I did seek to seduce him from his (true) self but he did firmly save himself guiltless!.... And now, if he doth not my bidding, he shall certainly be cast into prison, and (what is more) be of the company of the vilest!"

P: She said: This is he on whose account ye blamed me. I asked of him an evil act, but he proved continent, but if he do not my behest he verily shall be imprisoned, and verily shall be of those brought low.

S: She said: This is he with respect to whom you blamed me, and certainly I sought his yielding himself (to me), but he abstained, and if he does not do what I bid him, he shall certainly be imprisoned, and he shall certainly be of those who are in a state of ignominy.

012.033 Y: He said: "O my Lord! the prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me: Unless Thou turn away their snare from me, I should (in my youthful folly) feel inclined towards them and join the ranks of the ignorant."

P: He said: O my Lord! Prison is more dear than that unto which they urge me, and if Thou fend not off their wiles from me I shall incline unto them and become of the foolish.

S: He said: My Lord! the prison house is dearer to me than that to which they invite me; and if Thou turn not away their device from me, I will yearn towards them and become (one) of the ignorant.

012.034 Y: So his Lord hearkened to him (in his prayer), and turned away from him their snare: Verily He heareth and knoweth (all things).

P: So his Lord heard his prayer and fended off their wiles from him. Lo!

He is Hearer, Knower.

S: Thereupon his Lord accepted his prayer and turned away their guile from him; surely He is the Hearing, the Knowing.

012.035 Y: Then it occurred to the men, after they had seen the signs, (that it was best) to imprison him for a time.

P: And it seemed good to them (the men-folk) after they had seen the signs (of his innocence) to imprison him for a time.

S: Then it occurred to them after they had seen the signs that they should imprison him till a time.

012.036 Y: Now with him there came into the prison two young men. Said one of them: "I see myself (in a dream) pressing wine." said the other: "I see myself (in a dream) carrying bread on my head, and birds are eating, thereof." "Tell us" (they said) "The truth and meaning thereof: for we see thou art one that doth good (to all)."

P: And two young men went to prison with him. One of them said: I dreamed that I was pressing wine. The other said: I dreamed that I was carrying upon my head bread whereof the birds were eating. Announce unto us the interpretation, for we see thee of those good (at interpretation).

S: And two youths entered the prison with him. One of them said: I saw myself pressing wine. And the other said: I saw myself carrying bread on my head, of which birds ate. Inform us of its interpretation; surely we see you to be of the doers of good.

012.037 Y: He said: "Before any food comes (in due course) to feed either of you, I will surely reveal to you the truth and meaning of this ere it befall you: that is part of the (duty) which my Lord hath taught me. I have (I a.s.sure you) abandoned the ways of a people that believe not in Allah and that (even) deny the Hereafter."

P: He said: The food which ye are given (daily) shall not come unto you but I shall tell you the interpretation ere it cometh unto you. This is of that which my Lord hath taught me. Lo! I have forsaken the religion of folk who believe not in Allah and are disbelievers in the Hereafter.

S: He said: There shall not come to you the food with which you are fed, but I will inform you both of its interpretation before it comes to you; this is of what my Lord has taught me; surely I have forsaken the religion of a people who do not believe in Allah, and they are deniers of the hereafter: