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 [later,] when he had provided them with their provisions, he placed the [King's] drinking-cup in his brother's camel-pack. And [as they were leaving the city,] a herald called out: "O you people of the caravan! Verily, you are thieves! 70 They, turning towards them, said: "What is it that you have missed?" 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 'By God,' they said, 'you know well that we came not to work corruption in the land. We are not robbers.' 73 They said, “And what shall be the punishment for it, if you are liars?” 74 "The punishment for that (should be)," they said, "that he in whose luggage it is found should be held as punishment. This is how we repay the wrong-doers." 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 ۞ Said the brothers: "If he has stolen (no wonder), his brother had stolen before." But Joseph kept this secret and did not disclose it to them, and said (to himself): "You are worse in the degree of evil, for God knows better of what you allege." 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 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