Popular Translations
Muhammad Asad
Thereupon God sent forth a raven which scratched the earth, to show him how he might conceal the nakedness of his brother's body. [And Cain] cried out: "Oh, woe is me! Am I then too weak to do what this raven did, and to conceal the nakedness of my brother's body?" - and was thereupon smitten with remorse
Arthur John Arberry
Then God sent forth a raven, scratching into the earth, to show him how he might conceal the vile body of his brother. He said, 'Woe is me! Am I unable to be as this raven, and so conceal my brother's vile body?' And he became one of the remorseful
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)
Then Allah sent a raven, who scratched the ground, to show him how to hide the shame of his brother. "Woe is me!" said he; "Was I not even able to be as this raven, and to hide the shame of my brother?" then he became full of regrets
Arabic
فَبَعَثَ ٱللَّهُ غُرَابࣰا یَبۡحَثُ فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ لِیُرِیَهُۥ كَیۡفَ یُوَ ٰرِی سَوۡءَةَ أَخِیهِۚ قَالَ یَـٰوَیۡلَتَىٰۤ أَعَجَزۡتُ أَنۡ أَكُونَ مِثۡلَ هَـٰذَا ٱلۡغُرَابِ فَأُوَ ٰرِیَ سَوۡءَةَ أَخِیۖ فَأَصۡبَحَ مِنَ ٱلنَّـٰدِمِینَ ٣١
Transliteration (2021)
fabaʿatha l-lahu ghurāban yabḥathu fī l-arḍi liyuriyahu kayfa yuwārī sawata akhīhi qāla yāwaylatā aʿajaztu an akūna mith'la hādhā l-ghurābi fa-uwāriya sawata akhī fa-aṣbaḥa mina l-nādimīn