۞ Hast thou not regarded those who went forth from their habitations in their thousands fearful of death? God said to them, 'Die!' Then He gave them life. Truly God is bounteous to the people, but most of the people are not thankful. 243 And fight in the cause of Allah and know that Allah is Hearing and Knowing. 244 Who is it that will offer of Allah a goodly gift, so He will multiply it to him manifold, and Allah straitens and amplifies, and you shall be returned to Him. 245 Bethinkest thou not of the chiefs of the Children of Isra'il, after Musa? They said unto a prophet of theirs: raise for us a king that we may fight in the way of God. He said: may it not be that if fighting were prescribed unto you, ye would not fight! They said: and wherefore shall we not fight in the way of God, whereas we have been driven forth from our habitations and children? Then when fighting was prescribed unto them, they turned away, save a few of them: and Allah is the Knower of the wrong-doers. 246 And their prophet said unto those elders: "Behold, now God has raised up Saul to be your king." They said: "How can he have dominion over us when we have a better claim to dominion than he, and he has not [even] been endowed with abundant wealth?" [The prophet] replied: "Behold, God has exalted him above you, and endowed him abundantly with knowledge and bodily perfection. And God bestows His dominion upon whom He wills: for God is infinite, all-knowing." 247 And (further) their Prophet said to them: "A Sign of his authority is that there shall come to you the Ark of the covenant, with (an assurance) therein of security from your Lord, and the relics left by the family of Moses and the family of Aaron, carried by angels. In this is a symbol for you if ye indeed have faith." 248