The Wise Judge Finds the Lost Necklace

Short Version

Once a rich man lost a golden necklace from his house. He thought that one of his servants had stolen it. He asked all the servants, but nobody admitted taking the necklace.

So, the rich man went to a wise judge. The judge called all the servants to his court. He gave each servant a stick of the same length. Then he said, “The thief’s stick will grow one inch longer tonight. Bring your sticks back tomorrow.”

The thief became afraid. At night, he cut one inch from his stick.

The next day, all the servants brought their sticks to the judge. One stick was shorter than the others. The judge understood who the thief was. The thief was caught and sent to jail.

Moral: A guilty person often gives himself away.

Expanded Version

Once a rich man discovered that a valuable golden necklace was missing from his house. He searched every room but could not find it.

Only his servants had been inside the house, so he believed that one of them had stolen the necklace. He called all the servants and asked them about it, but each one said, “I did not take it.”

The rich man could not discover the truth, so he went to a wise judge and asked for help.

The judge called all the servants to his court. He listened to them and then thought of a clever plan.

He gave each servant a stick of exactly the same length. He said, “Take these sticks home tonight. The stick belonging to the thief will grow one inch longer before morning. Bring the sticks back tomorrow.”

The innocent servants were not worried. They took their sticks home and left them as they were.

But the thief became very frightened. He believed the judge’s words. He thought, “If my stick becomes longer, everyone will know that I stole the necklace.”

So, during the night, he cut one inch from his stick.

The next morning, all the servants returned to the court. The judge placed the sticks side by side.

One stick was clearly shorter than the others.

The judge pointed to its owner and said, “You are the thief. Your fear made you shorten the stick.”

The thief could no longer hide the truth. He was caught, and the missing necklace was recovered.

Moral: A guilty person often gives himself away.