﴿ قَالُوا۟ مَآ أَخْلَفْنَا مَوْعِدَكَ بِمَلْكِنَا وَلَٰكِنَّا حُمِّلْنَآ أَوْزَارًۭا مِّن زِينَةِ ٱلْقَوْمِ فَقَذَفْنَٰهَا فَكَذَٰلِكَ أَلْقَى ٱلسَّامِرِىُّ ﴾

“They answered: "We did not break our promise to thee of our own free will, but [this is what happened:] we were loaded with the [sinful] burdens of the [Egyptian] people's ornaments, and so we threw them [into the fire], and likewise did this Samaritan cast [his into it]."”

(They said) O Moses: (We broke not tryst with thee) we did not go against your promise (of our own will) intentionally knowing that we were doing so, (but we were laden with burdens) loads (of ornaments of the folk) of the ornament of the people of Pharaoh, and the evil omen of that burden led us to worship the calf, (then cast them) then we cast the ornament ((in the Fire), for thus al-Samiri proposed) just as al-Samiri did.