وَلَوْ أَنَّآ أَهْلَكْنَـٰهُم بِعَذَابٍ مِّن قَبْلِهِۦ لَقَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَا لَوْلَآ أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولًا فَنَتَّبِعَ ءَايَـٰتِكَ مِن قَبْلِ أَن نَّذِلَّ وَنَخْزَىٰ
Walaw ann a ahlakn a hum biAAa tha bin min qablihi laq a loo rabban a lawl a arsalta ilayn a rasoolan fanattabiAAa a y a tika min qabli an na th illa wanakhz a For [thus it is:] had We destroyed them by means of a chastisement ere this [divine writ was revealed], they would indeed [be justified to] say [on Judgment Day]: "O our Sustainer! If only Thou hadst sent an apostle unto us, we would have followed Thy messages rather than be humiliated and disgraced [in the hereafter]!"121
 - Mohammad Asad
Had We destroyed them as punishment before its revelation, they would have said: "Our Rabb! If only You had sent us a Rasool, we would certainly have followed Your revelations before being humiliated and disgraced."
 - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Had We destroyed them with a torment before this 'Prophet came', they would have surely argued, 'Our Lord! If only You had sent us a messenger, we would have followed Your revelations before being humiliated and put to shame.'
 - Mustafa Khattab
And if We had destroyed them with some punishment before it, they would assuredly have said: Our Lord! If only Thou hadst sent unto us a messenger, so that we might have followed Thy revelations before we were (thus) humbled and disgraced!
 - Marmaduke Pickthall
And if We had inflicted on them a Penalty before this they would have said: "Our Lord! if only Thou hadst sent us an apostle we should certainly have followed Thy Signs before we were humbled and put to shame." 2659
 - Abdullah Yusuf Ali