Ali Quli Qarai, The Qur’ān with a Phrase-by-Phrase English Translation (2005)
before [opening] his brother’s sack.
Then he took it out from his brother’s sack.
Thus did We devise for Joseph’s sake.
He could not have held his brother
under the king’s law
unless Allah willed [otherwise].
We raise in rank whomever We please,
and above every man of knowledge
is One who knows best.1
77 They said, ‘If he has stolen [there is no wonder];
a brother of his had stolen before.’
Thereupon Joseph kept the matter to himself
and he did not disclose it to them.
He said, ‘You are in a worse state!
And Allah knows best what you allege.’
78 They said, ‘O emir!
Indeed he has a father, a very old man;
so take one of us in his place.
Indeed we see that you are a virtuous man.’
79 He said, ‘God forbid that we should take
anyone except him with whom we found our wares,
for then we would indeed be wrongdoers.’
80 When they had despaired of [moving] him,
they withdrew to confer privately.
The eldest of them said,
‘Don’t you know that your father
has taken a [solemn] pledge from you by Allah,
and earlier you have neglected your duty
in regard to Joseph?
1 Or ‘above every man of knowledge is one who knows better.’
