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 given them their provisions, he placed a drinking-cup in his brother's pack. Then a crier called out after them, "Men of the caravan! You have committed theft!" 70 They turned to them and asked: "What is it you have lost?" 71 They were told, "The King's drinking cup is missing and whoever brings it will receive a camel's load of grain. I promise you that". 72 (The brothers) said: "By Allah! well ye know that we came not to make mischief in the land, and we are no thieves!" 73 "What should be the punishment," they were asked, "in case you are liars?" 74 They said, 'This shall be its recompense -- in whoever's saddlebag the goblet is found, he shall be its recompense. So we recompense the evildoers.' 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 ۞ [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 ruler of the land! Lo! he hath a very aged father, so take one of us instead of him. Lo! we behold thee of those who do kindness. 78 "May God forgive us," he said, "if we hold any one but him with whom we found our property, or else we would be unjust." 79