Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad
[not giving way to their desires] with any but their spouses - that is, those whom they rightfully possess [through wedlock] -: for then, behold, they are free of all blame
M. M. Pickthall
Save with their wives and those whom their right hands possess, for thus they are not blameworthy
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)
Except with their wives and the (captives) whom their right hands possess,- for (then) they are not to be blamed
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab
except with their wives or those ˹bondwomen˺ in their possession, for then they are free from blame,
Safi Kaskas
except from their spouses and from those whom their right hands hold in trust, are free of blame.
Wahiduddin Khan
except from their spouses and those whom they rightfully possess [through wedlock], for which they incur no blam
Shakir
Except in the case of their wives or those whom their right hands possess-- for these surely are not to be blamed
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar
but not from their spouses or what their right hands possessed. Truly, they are not ones who will be reproached.
T.B.Irving
except with their own spouses or those living under their control; with such they are blameless.
Abdul Hye
except with their wives or those whom their right hands possess so they are not to be blamed.
The Study Quran
save from their spouses or those whom their right hands possess, for then they are not blameworthy
Talal Itani & AI (2024)
Except for their spouses and those they rightfully possess, for then they are not to be blamed.
Talal Itani (2012)
Except from their spouses or those living under their control, for then they are free of blame
Dr. Kamal Omar
except unto their wives or ma-malakat-aimanuhum (the women who are given in guardianship of adult males as their wives under a document prepared by the Muslim state) — then surely they are unblamed people
except from their wives and those whom their right hands possess, for in their case they are not blameworthy
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali
Except with their spouses or what their right hands possess; then surely they are not blameworthy (Literally: other than being blameworthy)
Muhammad Sarwar
except from their wives and slave girls, in which case they are not to be blamed
Muhammad Taqi Usmani
except from their wives and those (slave-girls) owned by their hands,__ because they are not to be blamed
Shabbir Ahmed
----- They have intimate relations only with their spouses - that is, those who are rightfully theirs through wedlock. For such relationship they are free of blame. ('Aw' = Or = That is = And. (23:5-7))
Dr. Munir Munshey
Except with their spouses _ those whom their right hands possess; because then, they are not blameworthy
Syed Vickar Ahamed
Except from their wives and the (captive) whom their right hand possess— For (them), they are not to be blameworthy
Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they are not to be blamed
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)
Except around their spouses or those committed to by oath, there is no blame
Abdel Haleem
from all but their spouses or their slave-girls––there is no blame attached to [relations with] these
Abdul Majid Daryabadi
Save in regard to their spouses or those whom their right hands own; so verily they are not blameworthy
Ahmed Ali
Are free of blame
Aisha Bewley
except from their wives and any slaves they own, in which case they incur no blame,
Ali Ünal
Save from their spouses or (as a permission for men) those (bondsmaids) whom their right hands possess, for with regard to them they are free from blame
Ali Quli Qara'i
(except from their spouses and their slave women, for then they are not blameworthy
Hamid S. Aziz
Except in the case of their wives or those whom their right hands possess - for on these surely is no blame
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad
except from their spouses or what their right hands own as indeed they are blameless
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)
Except with their spouses and those that their right hands possess, for they are not to be blamed
Musharraf Hussain
except from their spouses, or their slave maids; for that they can’t be blamed.
Maududi
except in regard to their spouses and those whom their right hands possess, for in regard to them they are not reproachable
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)
Except around their spouses or those maintained by their oaths, there is no blame
Mohammad Shafi
Except from their spouses or from those whom they rightfully possess. For indulging in sex with them, they are, of course, not to be blamed
Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)
But from their wives and from those whom their hands possess. They are not to be blamed for them.
(They have relations) only with their spouses, or what is legally theirs
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah
except from their wives and what their right hands own, for these they are not blameworthy
Maulana Muhammad Ali
Except in the presence of their mates or those whom their right hands possess -- for such surely are not to be blamed
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira
Except on (for) their spouses and what their rights owned/possessed (i.e.: care-givers of the sick, elderly and disabled under contract), so then they are not blameworthy/blamed
Bijan Moeinian
… with their wives and the ones that God has approved for them
Faridul Haque
Except with their wives and the bondwomen in their possession, for there is no reproach on them
Sher Ali
Except from their wives and from those whom their right hands possess; such indeed, are not to blame
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri
Except from their wives or the female slaves they possess. So (in this) there is no blame on them
Amatul Rahman Omar
Except from their (free) wives or those (wives of theirs) whom their right hands own (- slave wives), for which they are not to blame
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali
Except with their wives and the (women slaves and captives) whom their right hands possess, for (then) they are not to be blamed
New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Fode Drame
Except to their spouses or to those that their right hands possess, for then indeed they are not to be blamed.
Munir Mezyed
Except from their wives and those whom their right hands possess, in such a case they are free from blame-
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher
Except with regard to their partners or those in their possession, for then they are not to blame.
Linda “iLHam” Barto
The exception is with their spouses and their wards. With them, they have no blame.
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation
except from their spouses or those whom they rightfully possess—for then they are indeed not blameworthy.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab
except with their own spouses or those living under their control; with such they are blameless.
Samy Mahdy
Except upon their spouses or what their right hands possess, so they are not blamed.
Ahmed Hulusi
Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for which they are not to be blamed.
Mir Aneesuddin
except from their wives or whom their right hands possess, so in their case they are not to be blamed,
Except with their wives and with those of the captives in their hands; an act being then holy and incurs no blame
The Wise Quran
Except for their spouses or what their right hands possess, then indeed, they are not blameworthy;