Surely the believers and the Jews, Nazareans and the Sabians, whoever believes in God and the Last Day, and whosoever does right, shall have his reward with his Lord and will neither have fear nor regret. 62 [Children of Israel], We made a covenant with you and raised the mountain high above you, saying, "Hold fast to what We have given you and bear its contents in mind, so that you may guard yourselves [against evil]." 63 But ye turned back thereafter: Had it not been for the Grace and Mercy of Allah to you, ye had surely been among the lost. 64 You have surely known of those amongst you who transgressed the Sabbath. We said to them: 'Be apes, despised' 65 So We made this punishment an example to their own and to succeeding generations and a lesson to those who are Al-Muttaqun (the pious - see V. 2:2). 66 And [recall] when Moses said to his people, "Indeed, Allah commands you to slaughter a cow." They said, "Do you take us in ridicule?" He said, "I seek refuge in Allah from being among the ignorant." 67 "Call on your Lord for us," they said, "that He might inform us what kind she should be." "Neither old nor young, says God, but of age in between," answered Moses. "So do as you are bid." 68 "Call on your Lord," they said, "to tell us the colour of the cow." "God says," answered Moses, "a fawn coloured cow, rich yellow, well pleasing to the eye." 69 They said, 'Pray to thy Lord for us, that He make clear to us what she may be; cows are much alike to us; and, if God will, we shall then be guided.' 70 [Moses] answered: "Behold, He says it is to be a cow not broken-in to plough the earth or to water the crops, free of fault, without markings of any other colour." Said they: "At last thou hast brought out the truth!" - and thereupon they sacrificed her, although they had almost left it undone. 71