:84. Verily We established his power on earth, and We gave him the ways and the means to all ends.
:85. One (such) way he followed,
:86. Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water: Near it he found a People: We said: "O Zul-qarnain! (thou hast authority,) either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness."
:87. He said: "Whoever doth wrong, him shall we punish; then shall he be sent back to his Lord; and He will punish him with a punishment unheard-of (before).
:88. "But whoever believes, and works righteousness,- he shall have a goodly reward, and easy will be his task as We order it by our Command."
:89. Then followed he (another) way,
:90. Until, when he came to the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had provided no covering protection against the sun.
:91. (He left them) as they were: We completely understood what was before him.
:92. Then followed he (another) way,
:93. Until, when he reached (a tract) between two mountains, he found, beneath them, a people who scarcely understood a word.
:94. They said: "O Zul-qarnain! the Gog and Magog (People) do great mischief on earth: shall we then render thee tribute in order that thou mightest erect a barrier between us and them?
:95. He said: "(The power) in which my Lord has established me is better (than tribute): Help me therefore with strength (and labour): I will erect a strong barrier between you and them:
:96. "Bring me blocks of iron." At length, when he had filled up the space between the two steep mountain-sides, He said, "Blow (with your bellows)" Then, when he had made it (red) as fire, he said: "Bring me, that I may pour over it, molten lead."
:97. Thus were they made powerless to scale it or to dig through it.
