And the king said, “Bring him to me”; so when the bearer came to him, Yusuf said, “Return to your lord and ask him what is the status of the women who had cut their hands; indeed my Lord knows their deception.” 50 The king asked the women: "What was the affair of seducing Joseph?" "God preserve us," they said; "we know no evil against him." The wife of the minister said: "The truth has now come out. It was I who desired to seduce him, but he is indeed a man of virtue." -- 51 [When Joseph learned what had happened, he said: "I asked for] this, so that [my former master] might know that I did not betray him behind his back, and that God does not bless with His guidance the artful schemes of those who betray their trust. 52 ۞ But I do not wish to absolve myself, for the soul is prone to evil, unless my Lord have mercy. Indeed my Lord is forgiving and kind." -- 53 And the king said, “Bring him to me so that I may choose him especially for myself”; and when he had talked to him he said, “Indeed you are today, before us, the honourable, the trusted.” 54 Joseph said, "Place in my charge the storehouses of the land; for I am a good and knowledgeable custodian." 55 And as such We established Joseph in the land to live wherever he liked. We bestow Our Mercy on whom We will, and We never waste the wage of the righteous. 56 The reward in the next life is certainly better for the faithful ones who have observed piety in this life. 57