(16) And why, when you heard it, did you not say, "It is not for us to speak of this. Exalted are You, [O Allāh]; this is a great slander"?
— الترجمة الإنجليزية - صحيح انترناشونال
 16. And why did you not, when you heard it, say: "It is not right for us to speak of this. Glory be to You (O Allâh)! This is a great lie."
— الترجمة الإنجليزية
وَلَوۡلَآ إِذۡ سَمِعۡتُمُوهُ قُلۡتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَآ أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَٰذَا سُبۡحَٰنَكَ هَٰذَا بُهۡتَٰنٌ عَظِيمٞ

And if you had (but) said, as you heard it, "In no way is it for us to talk about this. All Extolment be to You! This is a tremendous calumny."
— Dr. Ghali - English translation
وَلَوۡلَآ إِذۡ سَمِعۡتُمُوهُ قُلۡتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَآ أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَٰذَا سُبۡحَٰنَكَ هَٰذَا بُهۡتَٰنٌ عَظِيمٞ

And why did you not, when you heard it, say? "It is not right for us to speak of this. Glory be to You (O Allah) this is a great lie."
— Muhsin Khan - English translation
وَلَوۡلَآ إِذۡ سَمِعۡتُمُوهُ قُلۡتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَآ أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَٰذَا سُبۡحَٰنَكَ هَٰذَا بُهۡتَٰنٌ عَظِيمٞ

Wherefor, when ye heard it, said ye not: It is not for us to speak of this. Glory be to Thee (O Allah)! This is awful calumny.
— Pickthall - English translation
وَلَوۡلَآ إِذۡ سَمِعۡتُمُوهُ قُلۡتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَآ أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَٰذَا سُبۡحَٰنَكَ هَٰذَا بُهۡتَٰنٌ عَظِيمٞ

And why did ye not, when ye heard it, say? - "It is not right of us to speak of this: Glory to Allah! this is a most serious slander!"
— Yusuf Ali - English translation
وَلَوۡلَآ إِذۡ سَمِعۡتُمُوهُ قُلۡتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَآ أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَٰذَا سُبۡحَٰنَكَ هَٰذَا بُهۡتَٰنٌ عَظِيمٞ

And why, when you heard it, did you not say, "It is not for us to speak of this. Exalted are You, [O Allah ]; this is a great slander"?
— Sahih International - English translation
وَلَوۡلَآ إِذۡ سَمِعۡتُمُوهُ قُلۡتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَآ أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَٰذَا سُبۡحَٰنَكَ هَٰذَا بُهۡتَٰنٌ عَظِيمٞ

(24:16) And why, no sooner than you had heard it, did you not say: "It becomes
us not even to utter such a thing? Holy are You (O Allah)! This is a mighty
calumny."
— Abul Ala Maududi(With tafsir) - English translation
وَلَوۡلَآ إِذۡ سَمِعۡتُمُوهُ قُلۡتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَآ أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَٰذَا سُبۡحَٰنَكَ هَٰذَا بُهۡتَٰنٌ عَظِيمٞ

When you heard the lie, why did you not say, ‘We should not repeat this- God forbid!- It is a monstrous slander’?
— Abdul Haleem - English translation
وَلَوۡلَآ إِذۡ سَمِعۡتُمُوهُ قُلۡتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَآ أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَٰذَا سُبۡحَٰنَكَ هَٰذَا بُهۡتَٰنٌ عَظِيمٞ

And why, when you heard of it, did you not say, “It is not for us to speak about this. Pure are You (O Allah). This is a terrible calumny.”
— Mufti Taqi Usmani - English translation
وَلَوۡلَآ إِذۡ سَمِعۡتُمُوهُ قُلۡتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَآ أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَٰذَا سُبۡحَٰنَكَ هَٰذَا بُهۡتَٰنٌ عَظِيمٞ

If only you had said upon hearing it, “How can we speak about such a thing! Glory be to You ˹O Lord˺! This is a heinous slander!”
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran - English translation
وَلَوۡلَآ إِذۡ سَمِعۡتُمُوهُ قُلۡتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَآ أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَٰذَا سُبۡحَٰنَكَ هَٰذَا بُهۡتَٰنٌ عَظِيمٞ

If only you had said upon hearing it, “How can we speak about such a thing! Glory be to You ˹O Lord˺! This is a heinous slander!”
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab - English translation
If only you had said when you heard it, “How can we speak about such a thing! Glory be to You [O Allah]! This is a monstrous slander!”
— الترجمة الإنجليزية - مركز رواد الترجمة
16. Why did you not say when you heard this slander: “It is not right for us to talk about this gross matter. Purity belongs to You, our Lord. This slander which they accused the Mother of the Believers of is a great lie”?
— الترجمة الإنجليزية للمختصر في تفسير القرآن الكريم
If only when you heard it you said: ‘It is not right for us to speak of this! All glory belongs to You. This is a monstrous slander’.
— ترجمة معاني القرآن الكريم - عادل صلاحي