Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 6.djvu/352

226 Then he said to his young men, ‘Put their chattels in their packs, haply they may know it when they are come back to their family; haply they may return.’

And when they returned to their father, they said, ‘O our father ! Measure is withheld from us ; so send with us our brother that we may get measure, and, verily, him we will keep !’

He said, ‘Shall I entrust you with him, save as I entrusted you with his brother before ? but God is the best of keepers, and He is the most merciful of the merciful.’

And when they opened their goods they found their chattels restored to them. Said they, ‘O our father ! What more can we crave ? Here are our chattels restored to us, and we shall guard our brother, and shall have an additional measure beside that — a small measure .’

He said, ‘I will by no means send him with you until you give me a compact from God that ye will surely bring him to me, unless ye be encompassed .’

So when they had given him their compact he said, ‘God over what ye say has charge.’

And he said, ‘O my sons ! enter not by one gate, but enter by several gates ; but I cannot avail you aught against God. Judgment is only God’s ; upon Him do I rely, and on Him do the reliant rely.’