3. Sura al-Imran

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللّهُ مِيثَاقَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْكِتَابَ ...

3: 187. And remember Allah took a Covenant from the People of the Book,

C494. Truth -Allah's Message- comes to any man or nation as a matter of sacred trust. It should be broadcast and published and taught and made clear to all within reach.

Privileged priesthood at once erects a barrier. But worse, -when such priesthood tampers with the truth, taking what suits it and ignoring the rest, it has sold Allah's gift for a miserable ephemeral profit; how miserable, it will learn when retributive justice comes.

... لَتُبَيِّنُنَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ وَلاَ تَكْتُمُونَهُ...

o make it known and clear to mankind, and not to hide it;

...فَنَبَذُوهُ وَرَاء ظُهُورِهِمْ وَاشْتَرَوْاْ بِهِ ثَمَناً قَلِيلاً ...

but they threw it away behind their backs, and purchased with it some miserable gain!

C495. Cf. 2:101.

... فَبِئْسَ مَا يَشْتَرُونَ ﴿١٨٧﴾

and vile was the bargain they made!

Other versions:

3:187 And Lo, God accepted a solemn pledge from those who were granted earlier revelation : " Make it known unto mankind, and do not conceal it!"

But they cast this behind their backs: and bartered it away for triffling gain: and how evil was their bargain!