Those who take the unbelievers for friends besides the faithful—do they seek honour at their hands? Verily, all honour belongeth unto God!

And already hath He sent this down to you in the Book²⁸ “WHEN YE SHALL HEAR THE SIGNS OF GOD THEY SHALL NOT BE BELIEVED BUT SHALL BE MOCKED AT.” Sit ye not therefore with such, until they engage in other discourse; otherwise, ye will become like them. Verily God will gather the hypocrites and the infidels all together in Hell.

They watch you narrowly. Then if God grant you a victory, they say, “Are we not with you?” and if the infidels meet with a success, they say to them, “Were we not superior to you: and did we not defend you from those believers?” God shall judge betwixt ye on the day of the resurrection, and God will by no means make a way for the infidels over the believers.

The hypocrites would deceive God, but He will deceive them! When they stand up for prayer, they stand carelessly, to be seen of men, and they remember God but little:

Wavering between the one and the other—belonging neither to these nor those! and by no means shalt thou find a path for him whom God misleadeth.

O believers! take not infidels for friends rather than believers. Would ye furnish God with clear right to punish you?

Verily the hypocrites shall be in the lowest abyss of the fire: and, by no means shalt thou find a helper for them;

Save for those who turn and amend, and lay fast hold on God, and approve the sincerity of their religion to God; these shall be numbered with the faithful, and God will at last bestow on the faithful a great reward.

Why should God inflict a chastisement upon you, if ye are grateful, and believe? God is Grateful, Wise!

God loveth not that evil be matter of public talk, unless any one hath been wronged: God it is who Heareth, Knoweth!

Whether ye publish what is good, or conceal it, or pardon evil, verily God is Pardoning, Powerful!

Of a truth they who believe not on God and his Apostles, and seek to separate God from his Apostles, and say, “Some we believe, and some we believe not,” and desire to take a middle way;

These! they are veritable infidels! and for the infidels have we prepared a shameful punishment.

And they who believe on God and his Apostles, and make no difference between them—these! we will bestow on them their reward at last. God is Gracious, Merciful!

The people of the Book will ask of thee to cause a Book to come down unto them out of Heaven. But a greater thing than this did they ask of Moses! for they said, “Shew us God plainly!” and for this their wickedness did the fire-storm lay hold on them. Then took they the calf as the object of their worship, after that our clear tokens had come to them; but we forgave them this, and conferred on Moses undoubted power.

And we uplifted the mountain²⁹ over them when we made a covenant with them, and we said to them, “Enter the gate adoring:”and we said to them, “Transgress not on the Sabbath,” and we received from them a strict covenant.