Surah Al-Baqarah, ayah 79: "So woe to those who write the "scripture" with their own hands, then say, "This is from Allah," in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what..." Read it in Arabic with transliteration and the Sahih International translation, with the ayah before and after it, and listen to it recited.
وَمِنْهُمْ أُمِّيُّونَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ إِلَّآ أَمَانِىَّ وَإِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَظُنُّونَ ﴿٧٨﴾
Wa minhum ummiyyoona laa ya'lamoonal kitaaba illaaa amaaniyya wa in hum illaa yazunnoon
And among them are unlettered ones who do not know the Scripture except in wishful thinking, but they are only assuming.
فَوَيْلٌۭ لِّلَّذِينَ يَكْتُبُونَ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هَٰذَا مِنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ لِيَشْتَرُوا۟ بِهِۦ ثَمَنًۭا قَلِيلًۭا ۖ فَوَيْلٌۭ لَّهُم مِّمَّا كَتَبَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَوَيْلٌۭ لَّهُم مِّمَّا يَكْسِبُونَ ﴿٧٩﴾
Fawailul lillazeena yaktuboonal kitaaba bi aydddhim summa yaqooloona haazaa min 'indil laahi liyashtaroo bihee samanan qaleelan fawilul lahum mimaa katabat aydeehim wa wailul lahum mimmaa yaksiboon
So woe to those who write the "scripture" with their own hands, then say, "This is from Allah," in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.
وَقَالُوا۟ لَن تَمَسَّنَا ٱلنَّارُ إِلَّآ أَيَّامًۭا مَّعْدُودَةًۭ ۚ قُلْ أَتَّخَذْتُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ عَهْدًۭا فَلَن يُخْلِفَ ٱللَّهُ عَهْدَهُۥٓ ۖ أَمْ تَقُولُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٨٠﴾
Wa qaaloo lan tamassanan Naaru illaaa ayyaamam ma'doo dah; qul attakhaztum 'indal laahi 'ahdan falai yukhlifal laahu 'ahdahooo am taqooloona 'alal laahi maa laa ta'lamoon
And they say, "Never will the Fire touch us, except for a few days." Say, "Have you taken a covenant with Allah? For Allah will never break His covenant. Or do you say about Allah that which you do not know?"
Arabic: Tanzil, Uthmani script. English: Sahih International. Audio: EveryAyah. Transliteration is a learning aid; read from the Arabic when you can.
Meaning and lessons
This ayah warns those who write something with their own hands and then say "this is from Allah" to sell it for a small price. Ibn Kathir explains that it was revealed about some scholars of the People of the Book who changed their scripture and attributed their words to Allah for worldly gain.
He cites Ibn Abbas, who told the Muslims not to ask the People of the Book about their scripture when Allah had told them that some of them changed it (Sahih al-Bukhari). The warning applies to anyone who invents religious rulings or texts for money or status. "Woe" (wayl) is repeated three times in the ayah.
Summarised in our own words from Tafsir Ibn Kathir, on Quran 2:79. Translation of the ayah: Sahih International.
Ayah 79 of Surah Al-Baqarah (البَقَرَةِ), "The Cow", surah 2 of the Quran, a Medinan surah of 286 ayat revealed in Madinah. It is in juz 1 (para 1), hizb 2, on page 12 of the standard Madinah mushaf. People search for it as 2/79, 2 79 or Quran 2 79.
Questions
So woe to those who write the "scripture" with their own hands, then say, "This is from Allah," in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn. (Sahih International)
This ayah warns those who write something with their own hands and then say "this is from Allah" to sell it for a small price. Ibn Kathir explains that it was revealed about some scholars of the People of the Book who changed their scripture and attributed their words to Allah for worldly gain.
It is in Surah Al-Baqarah, surah 2 of the Quran, in juz 1 (para 1), on page 12 of the Madinah mushaf.
The ayah before, 2:78, says: "And among them are unlettered ones who do not know the Scripture except in wishful thinking, but they are only assuming." The ayah after, 2:80, says: "And they say, "Never will the Fire touch us, except for a few days." Say, "Have you taken a covenant with Allah? For Allah will never break His covenant. Or do you say about Allah that which you do not know?""