Give to them a parable; to the people of the village there came Messengers, 13 When We sent them two messengers, they rejected them both, so We strengthened them with a third. They said, "Truly, we have been sent to you [by God] as messengers." 14 They said: ye are but human beings like ourselves; the Compassionate hath not sent down aught; ye are only lying. 15 They said: 'Our Lord knows that we are Messengers to you. 16 and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.” 17 (The people of the city) said: We augur ill of you. If ye desist not, we shall surely stone you, and grievous torture will befall you at our hands. 18 They said: your evil augury be with you. Call ye it an ill-luck because ye are admonished! Aye! ye are a people extravagant. 19 A man came running from the farthest part of the city saying, "My people, follow the Messengers. 20 Follow such as ask no wage of you, that are right-guided. 21 "Why should I not worship Him who has brought me into being, and to whom you shall all be recalled? 22 What, shall I take, other than Him, gods whose intercession, if the Merciful desires to afflict me, cannot help me at all, and they will never save me? 23 Verily then I should be in error manifest. 24 Verily I believe now in your Lord; so hearken unto me. 25 It was said: enter thou the Garden. He said: would that my people knew. 26 With what (munificence) my Lord hath pardoned me and made me of the honoured ones! 27 ۞ And We sent not down against his People, after him, any hosts from heaven, nor was it needful for Us so to do. 28 It was not but one shout, and immediately they were extinguished. 29 Alas for the servants! there comes not to them an apostle but they mock at him. 30 See they not how many generations before them we destroyed? Not to them will they return: 31 All of them shall (one day) be gathered before Us. 32