۞ Verily in Joseph and his brethren are signs (of Allah's Sovereignty) for the inquiring. 7 NOW [Joseph's brothers] spoke [thus to one another:] "Truly, Joseph and his brother [Benjamin] are dearer to our father than we, even though we are so many. Behold, our father is surely suffering from an aberration!" 8 "Slay ye Joseph or cast him out to some (unknown) land, that so the favour of your father may be given to you alone: (there will be time enough) for you to be righteous after that!" 9 One of them said, 'No, kill not Joseph, but cast him into the bottom of the pit and some traveller will pick him out, if you do aught.' 10 They said to their father, "Why do you not trust us with Joseph? We are indeed his well-wishers. 11 Send him with us tomorrow to frolic and play. We will look after him' 12 He said: 'It grieves me to let him go with you, for I fear lest the wolf should devour him when you are not paying attention to him' 13 They said: if the wolf devoured him while we were a company, we must indeed then be the losers! 14 So when they took him away – and all of them agreed that they should drop him in the dark well; and We sent the divine revelation to him, “You will surely tell them of their deed at a time when they will not know.” 15 And they came to their father in the evening, and they were weeping. 16 They said: O our father! surely we went off racing and left Yusuf by our goods, so the wolf devoured him, and you will not believe us though we are truthful. 17 And they brought Joseph's shirt, stained with false blood. Seeing this their father exclaimed: "Nay (this is not true); rather your evil souls have made it easy for you to commit a heinous act. So I will bear this patiently, and in good grace. It is Allah's help alone that I seek against your fabrication." 18 Then came travellers, and they sent one of them, a water-drawer, who let down his bucket. 'Good news!' he said. 'Here is a young man.' So they hid him as merchandise; but God knew what they were doing. 19 And they sold him for a reduced price - a few dirhams - and they were, concerning him, of those content with little. 20