44 Preface فَأَلقَوا حِبالَهُم وَعِصِيَّهُم وَقالوا بِعِزَّةِ فِرعَونَ إِنّا لَنَحنُ الغالِبونَYusuf AliSo they threw their ropes and their rods, and said: “By the might of Pharaoh, it is we who will certainly win!”1Though Pharaoh claimed to be a god, it is not likely that those nearest to him-his priests and sorcerers-believed such a thing! But it was a game of mutual pretence before the world. And so they appeal to his “divine” power.