And when a community among them said, "Why do you advise [or (7:164)

﴿وَإِذْ قَالَتْ أُمَّةٌ مِّنْهُمْ لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا ۙ اللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا ۖ قَالُوا مَعْذِرَةً إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ﴾
[ الأعراف: 164]

7:164 And when a community among them said, "Why do you advise [or warn] a people whom Allah is [about] to destroy or to punish with a severe punishment?" they [the advisors] said, "To be absolved before your Lord and perhaps they may fear Him."

Mention, O Messenger, when a group among them forbade them from doing what was wrong, cautioning them against it.
Another group remarked: 'Why are you advising those whom Allah is going to destroy in this world because of their disobedience, or punish with a firm punishment on the Day of Judgement?' Those advising replied: 'This advising of ours is to be free from blame before Allah, through doing what He commanded us to do of instructing what is right and forbidding what is wrong, so that He would not take us to account for not doing so; and, perhaps, those we advise might benefit from the advice, and give up their disobedience.
'

And when a community among them said: "Why do you preach to a people whom Allah is about to destroy or to punish with a severe torment?" (The preachers) said: "In order to be free from guilt before your Lord (Allah), and perhaps they may fear Allah."

phonetic Transliteration

Waith qalat ommatun minhum lima taAAithoona qawman Allahu muhlikuhum aw muAAaththibuhum AAathaban shadeedan qaloo maAAthiratan ila rabbikum walaAAallahum yattaqoona

Abdullah Yusuf Ali - Translation

When some of them said: "Why do ye preach to a people whom Allah will destroy or visit with a terrible punishment?"- said the preachers:" To discharge our duty to your Lord, and perchance they may fear Him."

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And when a community among them said: "Why do you preach to a people whom Allah is about to destroy or to punish with a severe torment" (The preachers) said: "In order to be free from guilt before your Lord (Allah), and perhaps they may fear Allah."

Page 172 English transliteration