The hypocrites seek to outwit God -- but it is He who outwits them. And when they stand up for prayer, they do so reluctantly and to be seen by others, and they hardly remember God at all. 142 Wavering between the two, neither with these nor with those. For them who are not given the guidance by God, you will never find a way. 143 O you who have attained to faith! Do not take the deniers of the truth for your allies in preference to the believers! Do you want to place before God a manifest proof of your guilt? 144 Verily, the hypocrites shall be in the lowest depth of the fire, and thou wilt find none who could succour 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 God do with chastising you if you are thankful, and believe? God is All-thankful, All-knowing. 147 ۞ Allah approveth not the publishment of evil speech, unless by one who hath been wronged; and Allah is ever Hearing, 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 Lo! those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers, and seek to make distinction between Allah and His messengers, and say: We believe in some and disbelieve in others, and seek to choose a way in between; 150 Those indeed are they who are denying the truth beyond doubt, and We have prepared a humiliating punishment for the deniers. 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