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 when he had provided them their provision, he put the drinking-cup in his brother’s bag, and then an announcer cried, “O people of the caravan! You are indeed thieves!” 70 They said while they turned toward them: what is it that ye miss! 71 'We are missing the goblet of the king' he replied. 'Whosoever restores it shall have a camelload, that I guarantee' 72 They said: "We swear by God. You know we did not come to commit any crime in the land, nor are we thieves." 73 (The Egyptians) said: "What then shall be the penalty of this, if ye are (proved) to have lied?" 74 They replied, "The penalty should be that he in whose saddlebag it is found, should be held [as bondman] to atone for the crime. That is how we punish the wrongdoers." 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 stealeth, then surely a brother of him hath stolen afore. But Yusuf concealed it in himself, and discovered it not unto them. He said: ye are in evil plight, and Allah is the Best Knower of that which ye ascribe. 77 They said: "O thou great one! Behold, he has a father, a very old man: detain, therefore, one of us in his stead. Verily, we see that thou art a doer of good!" 78 He answered: "May God preserve us from [the sin of] detaining any other than him with whom we have found our property - for then, behold, we would indeed be evildoers!" 79