And a faction of the People of the Scripture say [to each other], "Believe in that which was revealed to the believers at the beginning of the day and reject it at its end that perhaps they will abandon their religion, 72 "And do not believe those who do not belong to your faith." Say: "True guidance is the guidance of God -- that any may be given the like of what has been given you." Will they argue with you before your Lord? Say: "God's is the bounty. He gives whomsoever He please, for He is infinite and all-wise." 73 He may choose whom He likes for His favours, for great is His bounty. 74 ۞ And of the people of the Book is he whom if thou trustest with a talent, he will restore it unto thee, and among them is he whom if thou trustest with a dinar, he will not restore it unto thee except thou art ever standing over him; that is because they say there is in the matter of the illiterates no call on us. And they forge a lie against Allah while they know. 75 Indeed God loves those who honour their covenants and fear Him. God loves the righteous. 76 Behold, those who barter away their bond with God and their own pledges for a trifling gain - they shall not partake in the blessings of the life to come; and God will neither speak unto them nor look upon them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He cleanse them of their sins; and grievous suffering awaits them. 77 A group among the People of the Book when reading the Bible, deliberately mispronounce words in order to change their meaning, try to show that what they have read is from the true Bible. In fact, what they have read is not from the true Bible. They say, "What we read is from God." In reality, it is not from God. They knowingly ascribe false statements to God. 78 It is not for a human [prophet] that Allah should give him the Scripture and authority and prophethood and then he would say to the people, "Be servants to me rather than Allah," but [instead, he would say], "Be pious scholars of the Lord because of what you have taught of the Scripture and because of what you have studied." 79 He would never order you to take the angels and the Prophets as Lords; what, would He order you to disbelieve, after you have surrendered? 80