The hypocrites seek to trick God, but God is tricking them. When they stand up to pray they stand up lazily, showing off to the people and not remembering God save a little; 142 Wavering between them, [belonging] neither to the believers nor to the disbelievers. And whoever Allah leaves astray - never will you find for him a way. 143 O you who believe! do not take the unbelievers for friends rather than the believers; do you desire that you should give to Allah a manifest proof against yourselves? 144 Surely the hypocrites are in the lowest stage of the fire and you shall not find a helper for them. 145 Except those who repented and reformed themselves and held fast to Allah’s rope and made their religion sincerely only for Allah – so they are with the Muslims; and Allah will soon bestow upon the believers a great reward. 146 What would Allah do with your punishment if you are grateful and believe? And ever is Allah Appreciative and Knowing. 147 ۞ Allah does not like the public mention of evil except by one who has been wronged. And ever is Allah Hearing and Knowing. 148 (Even though you have the right to speak evil if you are wronged), if you keep doing good -whether openly or secretly -or at least pardon the evil (then that is the attribute of Allah). Allah is All-Pardoning and He has all the power to chastise. 149 Verily those who disbelieve in Allah and His apostles, and would differentiate between Allah, and His apostles, and say: some we believe in and others we deny; and they would take a way in between this and that. 150 They are in truth (equally) unbelievers; and we have prepared for unbelievers a humiliating punishment. 151 And those who believe in God and His Messengers and make no division between any of them, those -- We shall surely give them their wages; God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate. 152