۞ Assuredly in Yusuf and his brethren there have been signs for the inquirers. 7 NOW [Joseph's brothers] spoke [thus to one another:] "Truly, Joseph and his brother [Benjamin] are dearer to our father than we, even though we are so many. Behold, our father is surely suffering from an aberration!" 8 Therefore, let us put Joseph to death or cast him away to some [far-off] land, so that our father's attention should turn only to us, and you can thereafter become a righteous people." 9 Said a speaker among them, "Do not kill Joseph but throw him into the bottom of the well; some travelers will pick him up - if you would do [something]." 10 They said: "O our father! Why do you not trust us with Yusuf (Joseph), - when we are indeed his well-wishers?" 11 "Send him with us tomorrow to enjoy himself and play, and we shall take every care of him." 12 He said: 'It grieves me to let him go with you, for I fear lest the wolf should devour him when you are not paying attention to him' 13 They said: if the wolf devoured him while we were a company, we must indeed then be the losers! 14 So when they had gone off with him and agreed that they should put him down at the bottom of the pit, and We revealed to him: You will most certainly inform them of this their affair while they do not perceive. 15 And they came weeping to their father in the evening. 16 They said, "O our father, indeed we went racing each other and left Joseph with our possessions, and a wolf ate him. But you would not believe us, even if we were truthful." 17 And they came with false blood on his shirt. He said: Nay, but your minds have beguiled you into something. (My course is) comely patience. And Allah it is Whose help is to be sought in that (predicament) which ye describe. 18 And there came travellers and they sent their water-drawer and he let down his bucket. He said: O good news! this is a youth; and they concealed him as an article of merchandise, and Allah knew what they did. 19 And they sold him as worthless for a few paltry dirham. 20