"If we assume," Hilmi replied, "that the weight of what was stolen was one ton, its worth doubled every 20 years, even if the annual interest is only 5 percent. In one ton of gold is 700 kilograms of pure gold -- and we must remember that what was stolen was jewelry, that is, alloyed with copper. Hence, after 1,000 years, it would be worth 1,125,898,240 million tons, which equals 1,125,898 billion tons for 1,000 years. In other words, 1,125 trillion tons of gold, that is, a million multiplied by a million tons of gold. This is for one stolen ton. The stolen gold is estimated at 300 tons, and it was not stolen for 1,000 years, but for 5,758, by the Jewish reckoning. Therefore the debt is very large."
But these are reasonable men. The interviewer wondered whether a compromise might be possible. "There may be a compromise solution. The debt can be rescheduled over 1,000 years, with the addition of the cumulative interest during that period."
Well, let's see. If the Egyptians are willing to abide by the Biblical account of events for their lawsuit (which would make the discovery process interesting), they must prepare for a counterclaim for damages resulting from 400 years of bitter slavery. In Exodus, Chapter III, verse 7, God said to Moses, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people that are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their pains ..."
In verse 9, God continued, "And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto Me; moreover I have seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them."
Details, details. As it happens, the Egyptians tried this once before, in Alexander the Great's time. Alexander had no trouble ruling that if anyone owed indemnity, it was the Egyptians to the Jews, not vice versa.
Do the Egyptians really want to pursue this line of argument? Before filing their request for discovery, they might want to read on, to Exodus, Chapter VII -- the Ten Plagues.