( اشْتَرَوْا بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا ) (They have exchanged the verses of Allah for a small price): The world and everything in it are of little value compared to the verses of Allah (swt) that they exchanged. The meaning of (exchanged) here is that they sold, and they devalued the verses of Allah. Thus, they sold this religion and the verses of Allah for a miserable price.

(…فَصَدُّوا عَن سَبِيلِهِ ۚ…) (averted [people] from His way): They also prevented the call to Allah, which was initiated by the Messenger of Allah (saws) and his noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with all of them).

(…إِنَّهُمْ سَاءَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ…) (Indeed, it was evil that they were doing.): It is indeed an evil, ugly, and dirty act. The act refers to the combination of speech and action. Therefore, their words and deeds, were evil because they sold the verses of Allah (swt) for a meager price and hindered people from His path (swt).