Moses said to them, "Woe to you. Do not fabricate lies against Allah, or He will destroy you with a punishment. He who invents lies will fail."
They disagreed among themselves over their affair, and conferred secretly.
They said, "These two are magicians who want to drive you out of your land with their magic, and to abolish your exemplary way of life.
So settle your plan, and come as one front. Today, whoever gains the upper hand will succeed."
They said, "O Moses, either you throw, or we will be the first to throw."
He said, "You throw." And suddenly, their ropes and sticks appeared to him, because of their magic, to be crawling swiftly.
So Moses felt apprehensive within himself.
We said, "Do not be afraid, you are the uppermost.
Now throw down what is in your right hand—it will swallow what they have crafted. What they have crafted is only a magician's trickery. But the magician will not succeed, no matter what he does."
And the magicians fell down prostrate. They said, "We have believed in the Lord of Aaron and Moses."
