Then the unbelievers told their Messengers: "You will have to return to the fold of our faith or else we shall banish you from our land." Thereupon their Lord revealed to them: "We will most certainly destroy these wrong-doers, 13 and will then cause you to settle in the land as their successors. That is the reward for him who fears to stand for reckoning and holds My threat in awe." 14 But they sought victory and decision (there and then), and frustration was the lot of every powerful obstinate transgressor. 15 Gehenna (Hell) is before him and he is given oozing pus to drink, 16 He will gulp it but will hardly [be able to] swallow it. And death will come to him from everywhere, but he is not to die. And before him is a massive punishment. 17 The parable of those who reject their Lord is that their works are as ashes, on which the wind blows furiously on a tempestuous day: No power have they over aught that they have earned: that is the straying far, far (from the goal). 18 Hast thou not seen that God created the heavens and the earth in truth? If He will, He can put you away and bring a new creation; 19 And for Allah that is not hard or difficult (i.e. very easy for Allah). 20 They shall all appear before God and the weak will say to those who behaved proudly, "We were your followers. Can you protect us from God's punishment?" They will reply, "Had God given us guidance, we would have guided you. It is all the same whether we are patient or impatient; there is no escape for us." 21