When they came to Joseph he made his brother his guest, and said: "I am your brother. So do not grieve for what they had done." 69 And when he had furnished them with their furnishing; he placed the drinking-cup in his brother's pack. Thereafter a crier cried: O caravan! verily ye are thieves. 70 Joseph's brothers turned around and asked, "What is missing?" 71 They said: We miss the king's drinking cup, and he who shall bring it shall have a camel-load and I am responsible for it. 72 Joseph's brothers said, "We swear by God, as you know, that we have not come to spread evil in the land and that we have not committed any theft." 73 They said: what shall be the meed of him, if ye are found 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: "No wonder that he steals for a brother of his stole before." But Joseph kept his reaction to himself without disclosing the truth to them. He merely said to himself: "You are an evil lot. Allah knows well the truth of the accusation that you are making against me (to my face)." 77 They said: O chief! he has a father, a very old man, therefore retain one of us in his stead; surely we see you to be of the doers of good. 78 He said, 'God forbid that we should take any other but him in whose possession we found the goods; for if we did so, we would be evildoers.' 79