The hypocrites try to deceive God but He, in fact, deceives them. They stand up in prayer lazily just to show that they pray, but, in truth they remember God very little. 142 They vacillate between the two, belonging neither to one side nor the other. But for him whom God allows to go astray you can never find the way for him. 143 O ye who believe! Take not for friends unbelievers rather than believers: Do ye wish to offer Allah an open proof against yourselves? 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 re-pent and mend their ways and hold fast to Allah and make their faith exclusive to Allah. Those people shall be numbered with the believers and Allah will certainly bestow on the believers a great reward. 146 Why would God cause you to suffer [for your past sins] if you are grateful and attain to belief - seeing that God is always responsive to gratitude, all-knowing? 147 ۞ Allah does not like speaking evil publicly unless one has been wronged. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. 148 Whether you do some good openly or in secret, or forgive an ill done to you, (know) that God is forgiving and all-powerful. 149 Those who deny Allah and His messengers, and (those who) wish to separate Allah from His messengers, saying: "We believe in some but reject others": And (those who) wish to take a course midway,- 150 They are in truth (equally) unbelievers; and we have prepared for unbelievers a humiliating punishment. 151 But those who believe in God and His apostles and make no distinction among any of them, will be given by Him their recompense; for God is forgiving and kind. 152