۞ God took compact with the Children of Israel; and We raised up from among them twelve chieftains. And God said, 'I am with you. Surely, if you perform the prayer, and pay the alms, and believe in My Messengers and succour them, and lend to God a good loan, I will acquit you of your evil deeds, and I will admit you to gardens underneath which rivers flow. So whosoever of you thereafter disbelieves, surely he has gone astray from the right way. 12 So for their breaking of the covenant We cursed them and made their hearts hard. They distort words from their [proper] usages and have forgotten a portion of that of which they were reminded. And you will still observe deceit among them, except a few of them. But pardon them and overlook [their misdeeds]. Indeed, Allah loves the doers of good. 13 We had taken the pledge of those also who call themselves Christians. But they too forgot to take advantage of the warning they were given. So We have caused enmity and hatred among them to last till the Day of Resurrection, when God will inform them of what they were doing. 14 People of the Book, now there has come to you Our Messenger, making clear to you many things you have been concealing of the Book, and effacing many things. There has come to you from God a light, and a Book Manifest 15 whereby God guides to the ways of peace all who seek His good pleasure, bringing them from darkness to the light, by His will, and guiding them to a straight path. 16 Assuredly they have disbelieved who say: verily God! He is the Masih, son of Maryam. Say thou; who can avail in aught against Allah, if He intended to destroy Masih, son of Maryam, and his mother and those on the earth altogether? And Allah's is the dominion of the heavens and the earth and that which is in between the twain. He createth whatsoever He will, and Allah is over everything Potent. 17 The Jews and Christians call themselves the beloved sons of God. (Muhammad), ask them, "Why does God punish you for your sins? In fact, you are mere human beings whom He has created. He forgives and punishes whomever He wants. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens, the earth, and all that is between them and to Him do all things return. 18 O followers of the Book! indeed Our Apostle has come to you explaining to you after a cessation of the (mission of the) apostles, lest you say: There came not to us a giver of good news or a warner, so indeed there has come to you a giver of good news and a warner; and Allah has power over all things. 19