فَلَمَّا رَأَوۡاْ بَأۡسَنَا قَالُوٓاْ ءَامَنَّا بِٱللَّهِ وَحۡدَهُۥ وَكَفَرۡنَا بِمَا كُنَّا بِهِۦ مُشۡرِكِينَ
when they saw Our punishment, they said, ‘We believe in God alone; we reject any partner we ascribed to Him,’
فَلَمۡ يَكُ يَنفَعُهُمۡ إِيمَٰنُهُمۡ لَمَّا رَأَوۡاْ بَأۡسَنَاۖ سُنَّتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِي قَدۡ خَلَتۡ فِي عِبَادِهِۦۖ وَخَسِرَ هُنَالِكَ ٱلۡكَٰفِرُونَ
but believing after seeing Our punishment did not benefit them at all- this has always been God’s way of dealing with His creatures- there and then the disbelievers were lost.