وَلَا يَحْزُنْكَ الَّذِينَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْكُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لَنْ يَضُرُّوا اللَّهَ شَيْئًا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَلَّا يَجْعَلَ لَهُمْ حَظًّا فِي الْآخِرَةِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿۱۷۶﴾ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرَوُا الْكُفْرَ بِالْإِيمَانِ لَنْ يَضُرُّوا اللَّهَ شَيْئًا وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴿۱۷۷﴾ وَلَا يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنَّمَا نُمْلِي لَهُمْ خَيْرٌ لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ إِنَّمَا نُمْلِي لَهُمْ لِيَزْدَادُوا إِثْمًا وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ ﴿۱۷۸﴾ مَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَذَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَى مَا أَنْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى يَمِيزَ الْخَبِيثَ مِنَ الطَّيِّبِ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُطْلِعَكُمْ عَلَى الْغَيْبِ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَجْتَبِي مِنْ رُسُلِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ فَآمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَإِنْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَتَتَّقُوا فَلَكُمْ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿۱۷۹﴾

﴾176﴿ Wa laa yahzunkal lazeena yusaari'oona fil Kufr; innahum lai yadurrul laaha shai'aa; yureedul laahu allaa yaj'ala lahum hazzan fil Aakhirati wa lahum 'azaabun 'azeem
﴾177﴿ Innal lazeenash tarawul kufra bil eemaani lai yadurrul laaha shai'anw wa lahum 'azaabun aleem
﴾178﴿ Wa laa yahsabannal lazeena kafarooo annamaa numlee lahum khairulli anfusihim; innamaa numlee lahum liyazdaadooo ismaa wa lahum 'azaabum muheen
﴾179﴿ Maa kaanal laahu liyazaral mu'mineena 'alaa maaa antum 'alaihi hattaa yameezal khabeesa minat taiyib; wa maa kaanal laahu liyutli'akum 'alal ghaibi wa laakinnal laaha yajtabee mir rusulihee mai yashaaa'; fa aaminoo billaahi wa Rusulih; wa in tu 'minoo wa tattaqoo falakum ajrun 'azeem

﴾176﴿ And let not those who hasten toward disbelief grieve you—they will never harm Allah in the least. Allah intends not to give them any share in the Hereafter, and for them is a great punishment.
﴾177﴿ Indeed, those who have purchased disbelief in exchange for faith will never harm Allah in the least—and for them is a painful punishment.
﴾178﴿ And let not the disbelievers think that Our granting them respite is good for them.
We only give them time so that their sins may increase, and for them is a humiliating punishment.
﴾179﴿ Allah is not one to leave the believers in the state you are in until He separates the impure from the pure.
And Allah will not disclose to you the unseen, but Allah chooses from His messengers whom He wills.
So believe in Allah and His messengers, and if you believe and guard yourselves (from hypocrisy), then for you is a great reward.

[176] This is a consolation for the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and give him peace. (يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْكُفْرِ) — means they strive and fight for disbelief, and this refers to clear and open disbelievers. (لَنْ يَضُرُّوا اللَّهَ) — they can never harm Allah or His religion in any way. (يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ) — meaning, Allah has made their efforts in the cause of disbelief a reason for depriving them of any reward in the Hereafter.
[177] Understood. Here's the revised version with
added after each period or question mark: In this verse, the reference is to the hypocrites.
(اشْتَرَوُا الْكُفْرَ) — “purchased disbelief” means they preferred or chose it willingly, and this very trait of theirs is also mentioned in verse 16 of Surah Al-Baqarah.
[178] This is a warning for the disbelievers and an answer to the question: why have disbelievers been granted long life and wealth?
(لِيَزْدَادُوا إِثْمًا) — It means that through this delay, they fall into heedlessness, and due to that heedlessness, their sins increase.
[179] This is an answer to the question: why do these hardships come upon the believers, and why has jihad been made obligatory?
The answer is that it is to distinguish the hypocrites from the sincere.
(مَا أَنْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ) — refers to the scattered and mixed condition.
(مَا كَانَ اللَّهُ) — answers another question: why does Allah send afflictions? Why doesn’t He just show us the hypocrites directly?
The reply is: that is part of the unseen, and Allah does not disclose the unseen to anyone.
(لَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَجْتَبِي) — responds to the question: sometimes prophets tell of unseen events; does that mean they know the unseen?
The answer is: no, but Allah informs them through revelation. That is why the word “chooses” (يجتبي) is used—it is not knowledge of the unseen on their part.
(الْغَيْبِ) — the definite article "al" refers to a specific unseen, namely the distinction between believers and hypocrites in detail.
(وَلَكِنَّ) — this is a disconnected exception (استثناء منقطع).
Note: This verse indicates that, by the end period in Madinah, Allah had separated the hypocrites from the sincere believers.