When they presented themselves before Joseph, he took his brother aside to himself and said: "Verily I am your own brother Joseph; so do not grieve over the manner they have treated you." 69 And [later,] when he had provided them with their provisions, he placed the [King's] drinking-cup in his brother's camel-pack. And [as they were leaving the city,] a herald called out: "O you people of the caravan! Verily, you are thieves! 70 Turning back they asked: "What have you lost?" 71 They said, 'We are missing the king's goblet. Whoever brings it shall receive a camel's load; that I guarantee.' 72 They said: By Allah! you know for certain that we have not come to make mischief in the land, and we are not thieves. 73 "What should be the punishment," they were asked, "in case you are liars?" 74 They said, “The punishment for it is that he in whose bag it shall be found, shall himself become a slave for it; this is how we punish the unjust.” 75 So he [Yusuf (Joseph)] began (the search) in their bags before the bag of his brother. Then he brought it out of his brother's bag. Thus did We plan for Yusuf (Joseph). He could not take his brother by the law of the king (as a slave), except that Allah willed it. (So Allah made the brothers to bind themselves with their way of "punishment, i.e. enslaving of a thief.") We raise to degrees whom We please, but over all those endowed with knowledge is the All-Knowing (Allah). 76 ۞ They said, "If he steals - a brother of his has stolen before." But Joseph kept it within himself and did not reveal it to them. He said, "You are worse in position, and Allah is most knowing of what you describe." 77 They said: "O Minister, he has an aged father, so keep one of us in his place. We see you are a virtuous man." 78 "May God forgive us," he said, "if we hold any one but him with whom we found our property, or else we would be unjust." 79