then when they despaired of him they retired conferring privately together. the eldest of them said do you not know that your father took from you a covenant in allahs name and how you fell short of your duty with respect to yusuf before? therefore i will by no means depart from this land until my father permits me or allah decides for me and he is the best of the judges go back to your father and say o our father! surely your son committed theft and we do not bear witness except to what we have known and we could not keep watch over the unseen and inquire in the town in which we were and the caravan with which we proceeded and most surely we are truthful.
فلما استيأسوا منه خلصوا نجيا قال كبيرهم ألم تعلموا أن أباكم قد أخذ عليكم موثقا من الله ومن قبل ما فرطتم في يوسف فلن أبرح الأرض حتى يأذن لي أبي أو يحكم الله لي وهو خير الحاكمين ارجعوا إلى أبيكم فقولوا يا أبانا إن ابنك سرق وما شهدنا إلا بما علمنا وما كنا للغيب حافظين واسأل القرية التي كنا فيها والعير التي أقبلنا فيها وإنا لصادقون