AND WHEN [the sons of Jacob] presented themselves before Joseph, he drew his brother [Benjamin] unto himself, saying [to him in secret]: "Behold, I am thy brother! So grieve thou not over their past doings!" 69 When he had furnished them with provisions, he placed the King's drinking cup in his own brother's baggage. Then someone shouted, "People of the caravan, you are thieves!" 70 They said, turning towards them: "What is it that ye miss?" 71 They said, "We are missing the measure of the king. And for he who produces it is [the reward of] a camel's load, and I am responsible for it." 72 They said: By Allah, well ye know we came not to do evil in the land, and are no thieves. 73 They said, “And what shall be the punishment for it, if you are liars?” 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 searched their saddle-bags before his brother's, then produced the cup from his brother's bag. That is how We planned an excuse for Joseph, for under the law of the king he could not detain his brother unless God so willed. We raise the status of whom We please. Over every man of knowledge there is one more knowing. 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: 'Mighty prince, his father is old, advanced in years, take one of us instead of him. We can see you are amongst the gooddoers' 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