Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

Said a speaker among them: “Kill not Joseph, but cast him into the depth of the well — some caravan will gather him up — if you must act.”

قَالَ قَٓائِلٌ مِنْهُمْ لَا تَقْتُلُوا يُوسُفَ وَاَلْقُوهُ ف۪ي غَيَابَتِ الْجُبِّ يَلْتَقِطْهُ بَعْضُ السَّيَّارَةِ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ فَاعِل۪ينَ
Qala qa-ilun minhum lataqtuloo yoosufa waalqoohu fee ghayabati aljubbi yaltaqithubaAAdu assayyarati in kuntum faAAileen
#wordmeaningroot
1qālaSaidقول
2qāiluna speakerقول
3min'humamong them
4(Do) not
5taqtulūkillقتل
6yūsufaYusuf
7wa-alqūhubut throw himلقي
8in
9ghayābatithe bottomغيب
10l-jubi(of) the wellجبب
11yaltaqiṭ'huwill pick himلقط
12baʿḍusomeبعض
13l-sayārati[the] caravanسير
14inif
15kuntumyou areكون
16fāʿilīnadoingفعل
  • Aisha Bewley

    One of them said, ‘Do not take Yusuf’s life but throw him to the bottom of the well, so that some travellers may discover him, if this is something that you have to do. ’

  • Progressive Muslims

    One amongst them said: "Do not kill Joseph, but if you are going to do anything, then cast him into the bottom of the well, so that anyone traveling by will pick him up. "

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    Another of them suggested, "Do not slay Joseph. Rather, if you must do something, cast him into a deep well, and some caravan may pick him up."

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    Said a speaker among them: “Kill not Joseph, but cast him into the depth of the well — some caravan will gather him up — if you must act.”

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    One among them said: "Do not kill Joseph, but if you are going to do a thing, then cast him into the bottom of the well, so that anyone traveling by will pick him up."

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    One amongst them said, "Do not kill Joseph, but if you are going to do anything, then cast him into the bottom of the well, so that anyone traveling by will pick him up."

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    One of them said, "Do not kill Joseph; let us throw him into the abyss of the well. Perhaps some caravan can pick him up, if this is what you decide to do."

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    One of them said: "If you must do so, then do not kill Joseph, but throw him into an unused well. Some passing caravan may rescue him."

  • Sahih International (Umm Muhammad, Mary Kennedy, Amatullah Bantley)

    Said a speaker among them, "Do not kill Joseph but throw him into the bottom of the well; some travelers will pick him up - if you would do . "

  • Muhammad Asad

    Another of them said: "Do not slay Joseph, but -rather - if you must do something - cast him into the dark depths of this well, some caravan may pick him up. "

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    One among them said: Kill not Joseph but, if ye must be doing, fling him into the depth of the pit; some caravan will find him.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    Thereupon one of them said: "Do not kill Joseph, but if you are bent upon doing something, cast him down to the bottom of some dark pit, perhaps some caravan passing by will take him out of it."

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    But one of them said: "Do not kill Yusuf, for such an act shall be a grave error that threatens a fatal result; throw him down the well where he would be out of sight, and there, he will be picked up by some company of merchants, travellers or others, that is if you have indeed decided to get rid of him. "

  • Bijan Moeinian

    One of the brothers suggested: "Do not kill him. If you have to get rid of him, cast him in a remote well. When the caravans pass by, they may take him as a slave."

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    One from among them said: "Kill not Yûsuf (Joseph), but if you must do something, throw him down to the bottom of a well; he will be picked up by some caravan of travellers."

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    Said one of them: "Slay not Joseph, but if ye must do something, throw him down to the bottom of the well: he will be picked up by some caravan of travellers."

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    One of them said, "Do not kill Joseph. But if you must do something, throw him into the bottom of a well so perhaps he may be picked up by some travellers."

  • Taqi Usmani

    One of them said, "Do not kill Yūsuf; rather, cast him into the bottom of a pit, so that some wayfarers may pick him up, if you are going to do something anyway.’’

  • Abdul Haleem

    said, ‘Do not kill Joseph, but, if you must, throw him into the hidden depths of a well where some caravan may pick him up.’

  • Arthur John Arberry

    One of them said, 'No, kill not Joseph, but cast him into the bottom of the pit and some traveller will pick him out, if you do aught. '

  • E. Henry Palmer

    A speaker from amongst them spake, 'Slay not Joseph, but throw him into the bottom of the pit; some of the travellers may pick him up, if so ye do. '

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    "Slay Joseph, or cast him out to some (far or unknown) land; that your father's face (favour) may be free for you, and you may afterwards be a righteous folk. "

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    One (Literally: a speaker) of them said, "Do not kill Yûsuf, and cast him into the unseen (bottom) of the pit, (and) (some) travellers will pick him out, in case you are performing (that). "

  • George Sale

    One of them spoke and said; slay not Joseph, but throw him to the bottom of the well; and some travellers will take him up, if ye do this.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    One of them (his half brothers said): "Do not kill Yusuf (Joseph) but if you must do something, throw him down to the bottom of a well: He will be taken by some group of travelers. "

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    (At this) a speaker among them said, `If you are bent upon doing something at all, do not kill Joseph but put him into the dark depths of the dry well; (perhaps) some caravan of travellers may pick him out. '

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    One of them said, ‘Do not kill Joseph, but throw him into the recess of some well so that some caravan may pick him up, if you are to do . ’