۞ Surely, in Joseph and his brothers there are signs for the inquirers. 7 When they said, 'Surely Joseph and his brother are dearer to our father than we, though we are a band. Surely our father is in manifest error. 8 So either kill Joseph or cast him into some distant land so that your father's attention may become exclusively yours. And after so doing become righteous." 9 A speaker from among them said: Do not slay Yusuf, and cast him down into the bottom of the pit if you must do (it), (so that) some of the travellers may pick him up. 10 They said: "O our father! why dost thou not trust us with Joseph,- seeing we are indeed his sincere well-wishers? 11 Send him with us tomorrow to play with us and enjoy himself. We shall carefully protect him". 12 (Jacob) said: "Really it saddens me that ye should take him away: I fear lest the wolf should devour him while ye attend not to him." 13 They said: If the wolf should devour him when we are (so strong) a band, then surely we should have already perished. 14 So when they took him away – and all of them agreed that they should drop him in the dark well; and We sent the divine revelation to him, “You will surely tell them of their deed at a time when they will not know.” 15 And they came to their father in the early part of the night weeping. 16 They said, 'Father, we went running races, and left Joseph behind with our things; so the wolf ate him. But thou wouldst never believe us, though we spoke truly.' 17 And they brought upon his shirt false blood. [Jacob] said, "Rather, your souls have enticed you to something, so patience is most fitting. And Allah is the one sought for help against that which you describe." 18 And there came a caravan of travellers; they sent their water-drawer, and he let down his bucket (into the well). He said: "What good news! Here is a boy." So they hid him as merchandise (a slave). And Allah was the All-Knower of what they did. 19 And they sold him for a reduced price - a few dirhams - and they were, concerning him, of those content with little. 20