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 Turning back they asked: "What have you lost?" 71 They said, “We cannot find the king’s cup, and for him who brings it is a camel-load, and I am its guarantor.” 72 They said: By Allah! you know for certain that we have not come to make mischief in the land, and we are not thieves. 73 They said: And what shall be the penalty for it, if ye prove liars? 74 They said: "The penalty should be that he in whose saddle-bag it is found, should be held (as bondman) to atone for the (crime). Thus it is we punish the wrong-doers!" 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 is a thief, a brother of his was a thief before.' But Joseph secreted it in his soul and disclosed it not to them, saying, 'You are in a worse case; God knows very well what you are describing.' 77 They said, “O governor! He has a very aged father, so take one of us in his stead; indeed we witness your favours.” 78 He replied, "God forbid that we should take anyone other than the person on whom we found our property. In that case, we would clearly be wrongdoers." 79