وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَا فِى كُلِّ قَرْيَةٍ أَكَـٰبِرَ مُجْرِمِيهَا لِيَمْكُرُوا۟ فِيهَا ۖ وَمَا يَمْكُرُونَ إِلَّا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ
Waka tha lika jaAAaln a fee kulli qaryatin ak a bira mujrimeeh a liyamkuroo feeh a wam a yamkuroona ill a bianfusihim wam a yashAAuroon a And it is in this way that We cause the great ones in every land to become its [greatest] evildoers,109 there to weave their schemes: yet it is only against themselves that they scheme - and they perceive it not.
 - Mohammad Asad
and that is why in every town We have placed the criminals as their ring leaders to plot therein, they plot against none but their own souls, though they do not perceive it.
 - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And so We have placed in every society the most wicked to conspire in it. Yet they plot only against themselves, but they fail to perceive it.
 - Mustafa Khattab
And thus have We made in every city great ones of its wicked ones, that they should plot therein. They do but plot against themselves, though they perceive not.
 - Marmaduke Pickthall
Thus have We placed leaders in every town its wicked men to plot (and burrow) therein: but they only plot against their own souls and they perceive it not.
 - Abdullah Yusuf Ali