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 They are hesitant people belonging to neither side. You can find no other way for one whom God has caused to go astray. 143 O you who believe! Take not for Auliya' (protectors or helpers or friends) disbelievers instead of believers. Do you wish to offer Allah a manifest 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 But those who repent and mend their ways, who hold fast to God and are sincere in their worship of God will be joined with the believers; and God will bestow a great reward upon the believers. 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 ۞ God does not like any evil to be mentioned openly, unless it be by him who has been wronged (thereby). And God is indeed 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 VERILY, those who deny God and His apostles by endeavouring to make a distinction between [belief in] God and [belief in] His apostles, and who say: "We believe in the one but we deny the other," and want to pursue a path in-between 150 those in truth are the unbelievers; and We have prepared for the unbelievers a humbling chastisement. 151 To those who believe in God and His messengers, and make no distinction between any of them, to those -- We shall surely give them their rewards. God is most forgiving and merciful. 152