Believers, have fear of God. Find the means to reach Him and strive hard for His cause so that you may have everlasting happiness. 35 As to those who reject Faith,- if they had everything on earth, and twice repeated, to give as ransom for the penalty of the Day of Judgment, it would never be accepted of them, theirs would be a grievous penalty. 36 They would desire to go forth from the fire, and they shall not go forth from it, and they shall have a lasting punishment. 37 Cut off the hands of thieves, whether they are male or female, as a [deterrent] punishment from God for what they have done. God is almighty and wise. 38 So if one repents after his wrongdoing and reforms himself, Allah will incline towards him with His mercy; indeed Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful. 39 Knowest thou not that to Allah (alone) belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth? He punisheth whom He pleaseth, and He forgiveth whom He pleaseth: and Allah hath power over all things. 40 ۞ O Messenger! Do not be grieved on account of those who vie with one another in disbelieving: even though they be those who say with their mouths: 'We believe' even though their hearts have no faith; or they be Jews who have their ears eagerly turned to falsehood and spy for other people who did not chance to come to you, who pervert the words of Allah, taking them out of their proper context in order to distort their meaning. They say to people: 'If such and such teaching is given to you, accept it; if you are not given that, then beware! You can be of no avail to him whom Allah wills to fall into error. Those are the ones whose hearts Allah does not want to purify. For them there is degradation in this world and a mighty chastisement in the Next. 41 Eavesdropping for telling lies, earning through unlawful means! So, if they come to you, judge between them or decline. And if you decline, they can do you no harm; but if you judge, you should do so with justice, for God loves those who are just. 42 But how is it that they ask thee for judgment seeing that they have the Torah, containing God's injunctions - and thereafter turn away [from thy judgment]? Such as these, then, are no [true] believers. 43