Incwadi Onokuyithemba—Icandelo 2

IAsiriya Kwimbali YeBhayibhile

Eli linqaku lelesibini kwasixhenxe “kaVukani!” athetha ngamagunya asixhenxe akwimbali yeBhayibhile. Injongo yawo kukubonisa ukuba iBhayibhile inokuthenjwa, iphefumlelwe nguThixo yaye ithetha ngethemba lokupheliswa kokubandezeleka kwabantu okubangelwe kukulawulwa ngabantu abakhohlakeleyo.

UKUKHANKANYWA kweAsiriya kwakunokubenza bankwantye abantu bakuMbindi Mpuma wamandulo. Ngokutsho kwencwadi yeBhayibhile kaYona, xa uYona wathunywa nguThixo ukuba aye kuxelela abantu besixeko esilikomkhulu laseAsiriya iNineve ukuba babeza kutshatyalaliswa, lo mprofeti wababeleka abasicatyana. (Yona 1:1-3) Mhlawumbi kwakungenxa yokuba ama-Asiriya ayedume ngenkohlakalo.

Imbali Enokuthenjwa

Umprofeti weBhayibhile uNahum wathi iNineve ‘sisikhundla seengonyama nesixeko sophalazo-gazi.’ Wahlabela mgama wathi: “Ixhoba alimki! Kukho isandi sesabhokhwe nesandi sokugoqoza kwevili, nokuphala kwehashe nokuxhuma kwenqwelo. Abakhweli-mahashe, nedangatye lekrele, nokumenyezela komkhonto, nababuleweyo abaninzi, nezidumbu ezininzi; yaye izidumbu azipheli. Bahleli bekhubeka phakathi kwezidumbu.” (Nahum 2:11; 3:1-3) Ngaba zikho ezinye iincwadi zembali ezixhasa indlela iBhayibhile eyichaza ngayo iAsiriya yamandulo?

Incwadi ethi Light From the Ancient Past ithi iAsiriya “yayikwazi ukulwa ibe yayizoyikisa iintshaba zayo.” Esi sicatshulwa silandelayo sichaza indlela ukumkani waseAsiriya uAshurnasirpal II awaqhayisa ngayo ngendlela awayebaphatha ngayo abantu ababemchasa:

“Ndakha intsika ngakwisango lesixeko sakhe, amadoda abalaseleyo awayevukela ndawahlinza ndaza ndoleka intsika ngolusu lwawo; amanye kuloo madoda ndawaxhoma entsikeni ndaza amanye ndawabethelela ezibondeni ndaza ndawadibanisa nentsika, . . . yaye yamagosa aseburhulumenteni awayevukela ndawaqhawul’ iingalo nemilenze. . . . Abanye abantu ndabatshisa ngomlilo ndaza abanye ndabathimba.” Xa abembi bezinto zakudala bemba amabhotwe aseAsiriya bafumana iindonga ezihonjiswe ngemizobo yezinto ezimbi ezazisenziwa kubathinjwa.

Ngonyaka wama-740 B.C.E., iAsiriya yoyisa iSamariya ikomkhulu lobukumkani basentla wakwaSirayeli yaza yathimba abantu balapho. Kwiminyaka esibhozo kamva, yahlasela elakwaYuda.a (2 Kumkani 18:13) UKumkani waseAsiriya uSenaribhe wahlawulisa uKumkani uHezekiya wakwaYuda iitalente zegolide ezingama-30 neetalente zesilivere ezingama-300. IBhayibhile ithi lo kumkani wazihlawula. Nakuba kunjalo, uSenaribhe wathi nekomkhulu lakwaYuda, iYerusalem lifanele linikezele.—2 Kumkani 18:9-17, 28-31.

ENineve abembi bezinto zakudala baye bafumana kubhalwe into efanayo kwiingxelo ezithetha ngoSenaribhe. Kumacwecwe amatye alapho kwafunyanwa umbhalo apho ukumkani waseAsiriya wayeqhayisa esithi: “UHezekiya, umYuda, akazange azithobe phantsi kwedyokhwe yam, ndayingqinga imizi yakhe eyomeleleyo engama-46, iinqaba ezirhangqwe ngodonga nemizana engenakubalwa ekulo mmandla, ndaza ndayoyisa . . . Yena [uHezekiya] ndamenza ibanjwa eYerusalem, endlwini yakhe yobukhosi, njengentaka ivalelwe.” Emva koko, uSenaribhe wathi uHezekiya wamthumelela “iitalente zegolide ezingama-30, ezesilivere ezingama-800, amatye axabisekileyo, . . . (nazo) zonke izinto ezixabisekileyo” inani elingaphezu kwelo walifumanayo.

Noko ke phawula ukuba uSenaribhe akathi wayithimba iYerusalem. Eneneni akathethi ngokoyiswa komkhosi wakhe, yingelosi kaThixo. Ngokutsho kweBhayibhile ingelosi kaThixo yabulala amajoni aseAsiriya ali-185 000 ngobusuku nje obunye. (2 Kumkani 19:35, 36) Umphengululi uJack Finegan uthi: “Besingenakulindela ukuba uSenaribhe athethe ngokoyiswa kwakhe kuba izinto ezibhalwe ngookumkani baseAsiriya ziqulethe izinto abaqhayisa ngazo kuphela.”

Isiprofeto Esinokuthenjwa

Kwiminyaka elikhulu ngaphambi kokuwa koBukhosi baseAsiriya, uIsaya wathi uYehova uThixo wayeza kubohlwaya abo kumkani banekratshi ngenxa yokubaphatha kakubi abantu bakhe. UYehova wathi: ‘Ndiya kwenza kuphendulwe ngesiqhamo sokusa kwentliziyo kakumkani waseAsiriya nokuzigwagwisa ngokuphakama kwamehlo akhe.’ (Isaya 10:12) Ukongezelela, umprofeti kaThixo uNahum waxela kwangaphambili ukuba iNineve yayiya kutshatyalaliswa, amasango ayo ayeya kuvulelwa iintshaba nokuba amagosa omkhosi wayo ayeza kusaba emke. (Nahum 2:8, 9; 3:7, 13, 17, 19) Umprofeti uZefaniya wabhala wathi eso sixeko sasiya kuba ‘yinkangala ephanzileyo.’—Zefaniya 2:13-15.

Ezo ziprofeto zazaliseka ngowama-632 B.C.E. Ngaloo nyaka iNineve yoyiswa ngumkhosi omanyeneyo wamaBhabhiloni namaMedi yaye uBukhosi baseAsiriya bawa. Iingxelo zaseBhabhiloni zeso siganeko zithi loo mazwe “emka nobuncwane beso sixeko netempile” aza iNineve ayenza “amabhodlo.” Namhlanje, kummandla eyayimi kuwo iNineve ngakwiindonga ezingasempuma zoMlambo iTigris, phambi kwesixeko saseMosul, eIraq kukho amabhodlo.

Ukutshatyalaliswa kweAsiriya kwafak’ isandla ekuzalisekeni kwesinye isiprofeto seBhayibhile. Ngowe-740 B.C.E., iAsiriya yathimba izizwe ezilishumi zobukumkani basemntla. Malunga nexesha lokuthimba kweAsiriya obu bukumkani, umprofeti kaThixo uIsaya waprofeta esithi uYehova wayeza ‘kumaphula umAsiriya,’ ‘amnyathelele phantsi’ aze abuyisele uSirayeli elizweni lakhe. UIsaya wabhala wathi: “Intsalela yabantu bakhe abaya kusala eAsiriya . . . , [uThixo] uya kubaqokelela ndawonye.” Malunga neminyaka engamakhulu amabini kamva kwenzeka kanye loo nto!—Isaya 11:11, 12; 14:25.

Isithembiso Onokusikholelwa

Kwakude kudala ngaphambi kokuba iNineve iwe, ngoxa ookumkani baseAsiriya babesoyikisa iintshaba zabo, uIsaya waprofeta ngokuza komlawuli owahlukileyo. Wabhala wathi: ‘Sizalelwe umntwana, sinikwe unyana; yaye ukuphatha njengenkosana kuya kuba segxalabeni lakhe. Igama lakhe liya kubizwa ngokuba . . . yiNkosana yoXolo. Akayi kuyeka ukuphatha njengenkosana, noxolo aluyi kuphela etroneni kaDavide nasebukumkanini bakhe ukuze bumiselwe ngokuqinileyo nokuze buxhaswe ngokusesikweni nangobulungisa, ukususela ngoku kuse kwixesha elingenammiselo. Yona kanye inzondelelo kaYehova wemikhosi iya kukwenza oku.’—Isaya 9:6, 7.

UYesu Kristu, “iNkosana yoXolo” uya kulawula umhlaba wonke. INdumiso 72:7, 8 ithi: “Ngomhla wakhe uya kuhluma olilungisa, nobuninzi boxolo ide ingabi sabakho inyanga. Uya kuba nabalawulwa abasukela elwandle baye kufikelela elwandle basukele eMlanjeni [umEfrate] base eziphelweni zehlabathi.”

UYehova uThixo uza kusebenzisa le “Nkosana yoXolo” ukuze azalisekise isithembiso esikwiNdumiso 46:8, 9 esithi: “Yizani, nibone imisebenzi kaYehova, indlela amise iziganeko ezikhwankqisayo ngayo emhlabeni. Uphelisa iimfazwe kuse esiphelweni somhlaba. Waphula isaphetha nomkhonto; iinqwelo uzitshisa emlilweni.”

Etshayelela ukuzaliseka kwesi siprofeto, amaNgqina kaYehova afundisa abantu indlela yoxolo esebenzisa iBhayibhile, exelisa uYesu. Eneneni nguThixo kuphela oya kuzalisekisa isiprofeto esikuIsaya 2:4 esithi: “Ziwakhande amakrele azo abe ngamakhuba nemikhonto yazo ibe zizikere zokuthena imithi. Uhlanga aluyi kuphakamisela uhlanga ikrele, zingayi kuphinda zifunde nemfazwe kwakhona.” Ngokwahlukileyo, abalawuli beli hlabathi bachitha izigidi zemali bethenga izixhobo zemfazwe!

Imbali nesiprofeto esichanileyo zenza iBhayibhile yahluke, nto leyo eqinisekisa abantu abafuna inyaniso ukuba ngokwenene banokuyithemba le ncwadi. Kwinqaku elilandelayo siza kuthetha ngeBhabhiloni yamandulo, ikomkhulu lobukhosi besithathu ekuthethwe ngabo kwimbali yeBhayibhile.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Imaphu ekwiphepha 26]

(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)

UBUKHOSI BASEASIRIYA

MEDIA

ASSYRIA

Khorsabad

Nineveh

Calah

Asshur

Babylon

Tigris

Euphrates

Mediterranean Sea (Great Sea)

Samaria

Jerusalem

EGYPT

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 26]

Iinkunzi zeenkomo ezineempiko zazihombise amabhotwe ookumkani baseAsiriya

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 27]

Amacwecwe amatye anamazwi kaSenaribhe eqhayisa ngokuhlasela uYuda

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 26, 27]

Umzobo obonisa amabanjwa ehlinzwa ehleli

[Inkcazelo Ngemifanekiso ekwiphepha 27]

Page 26, top, time line: Egyptian wall relief and bust of Nero: Photograph taken by courtesy of the British Museum; Persian wall relief: Musée du Louvre, Paris; bottom, winged bull and page 27, both images: Photograph taken by courtesy of the British Museum