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 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, turning towards them: "What is it that ye miss?" 71 They said: We have lost the king's cup, and he who bringeth it shall have a camel-load, and I (said Joseph) am answerable for it. 72 They said: By Allah, well ye know we came not to do evil in the land, and are no thieves. 73 [The Egyptians] said: "But what shall be the requital of this [deed] if you are [proved to be] liars?" 74 They said, “The punishment for it is that he in whose bag it shall be found, shall himself become a slave for it; this is how we punish the unjust.” 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 ۞ [As soon as the cup came to light out of Benjamin's bag, the brothers] exclaimed: "If he has stolen - well, a brother of his used to steal afore-time!" Thereupon Joseph said to himself, without revealing his thought to them: "You are far worse in this respect, and God is fully aware of what you are saying. 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 said: Allah protect us that we should seize other than him with whom we found our property, for then most surely we would be unjust. 79