And a caravan came, traveling from Midian to Egypt, three days after Joseph was thrown into the pit. They missed the road and stopped near it. The pit was in a desolate area far from habitation, only known to shepherds. It was said that its water was salty. When they threw Joseph in, it was painful. They sent a man named Malik ibn Dhahr al-Khuza'i to seek water for them. The one who brings water is called the 'water bearer,' who draws water for the people. 'O glad tidings!' he called out, as if saying: 'Come, this is from your time.' It was read: 'O glad tidings,' adding it to himself. In the reading of al-Hasan and others: 'O glad tidings,' with a yā' instead of an alif, where the yā' is treated like a kasrah before the yā' of addition. This is a well-known dialect of the Arabs; I heard the people of the mountains saying in their supplications: 'O my master and lord.' And from Nafi': 'O glad tidings' with a pause, which is not the way due to the meeting of two silent letters improperly, unless one intends to stop. It was said that when he lowered his bucket, meaning he sent it into the pit, Joseph held onto the rope. When he came out, he saw a boy as beautiful as could be. He said: 'O glad tidings! This is a boy.' It was said he took him away. When he got close to his companions, he shouted to give them glad tidings. They concealed him; the pronoun refers to the water bearer and his companions: they hid him from the caravan. It was said they concealed the matter of finding him in the pit, and they told them: 'The people of the water handed him over to us to sell him in Egypt.' And from Ibn Abbas, the pronoun refers to Joseph's brothers, and they said to the caravan: 'This is a boy of ours who has run away; buy him from us.' And Joseph remained silent for fear they would kill him. 'And as merchandise' is in the accusative, meaning: they concealed him as goods for trade. Merchandise is what is divided from wealth for trade, meaning pieces. 'And Allah is All-Knowing of what they do'—nothing of their secrets is hidden from Him, and it is a warning to them as they sought to trade what does not belong to them. Or: 'And Allah is All-Knowing of what Joseph's brothers do to their father and brother in terms of bad treatment.'