M. H. Shakir, The Holy Quran; Arabic Text and English Translation; Foot-notes by M. H. Shakir (1974)

commands you that you should sacrifice a cow; they said: Do you ridicule us? He said: I seek the protection of Allah from being one of the ignorant.

68. They said: Call on your Lord for our sake to make it plain to us what she is. Musa said: He says, Surely she is a cow neither advanced in age nor too young, of middle age between that (and this); do therefore what you are commanded.

69. They said: Call on your Lord for our sake to make it plain to us what her colour is. Musa said: He says, Surely she is a yellow cow; her colour is intensely yellow, giving delight to the beholders.

70. They said: Call on your Lord for our sake to make it plain to us what she is, for surely to us the cows are all alike, and if Allah please we shall surely be guided aright.

71. Musa said: He says, Surely she is a cow not made submissive that she should plough the land, nor does she irrigate the tilth, sound, without a blemish in her. They said; Now you have brought the truth; so they sacrificed her, though they had not the mind to do (it).

72. And when you killed a man, then you disagreed with respect to that, and Allah was