Umsebenzi Obalaseleyo Wokuveliswa KweeBhayibhile Ngeelwimi ZaseAfrika

ABAFUNDI beBhayibhile abanyanisekileyo baseYurophu nakuMntla Merika kwakude kudala babekuqonda ukubaluleka kokuba abantu baseAfrika bafunde iLizwi likaThixo ngeelwimi zabo. Ukuze baphumeze le njongo intle abaninzi baya eAfrika ukuya kufunda iilwimi zalapho. Abanye benza ukuba ezi lwimi zibhalwe baza benza nezichazi-magama zazo. Emva koko, baqalisa ukuguqulela iBhayibhile ngeelwimi ezahlukahlukeneyo zaseAfrika. Lo yayingengomsebenzi ulula. IThe Cambridge History of the Bible ithi: “Umguquleli wayekhe enze uphando iminyaka ngaphambi kokuba afumane ibinzana elifanelekileyo nakweyona ngcamango yamaKristu ilula nesisiseko.”

Ngowe-1857 abeTswana baba ngabokuqala ukufumana inguqulelo yeBhayibhile epheleleyo olunye lweelwimi zaseAfrika ezazingabhalwa ngaphambili.a Yashicilelwa yaza yadityaniswa ngokwamacandelo, kungekhona njengencwadi enye. Ethubeni, iinguqulelo zeBhayibhile zabakho nangezinye iilwimi zaseAfrika. Uninzi lwezi nguqulelo zokuqala zaseAfrika zazinegama likaThixo, uYehova, kwiZibhalo zesiHebhere, okanye “iTestamente Endala,” nakwiZibhalo ZamaKristu ZesiGrike, okanye “iTestamente Entsha.” Noko ke, uhlaziyo neenguqulelo ezintsha zenziwa ngabantu ababengalihloneli igama elingcwele loMbhali weBhayibhile, uYehova. Kunoko balandela isithethe samaYuda aneenkolelo, sokususa igama likaThixo kuze kusetyenziswe izibizo, ezifana nezithi Thixo okanye Nkosi. Ngenxa yoko, kwabakho imfuneko yokuba abathandi bakaThixo eAfrika babe nenguqulelo yeBhayibhile ebuyisela igama likaThixo.

Ukususela ngeminyaka ye-1980, iQumrhu Elilawulayo lamaNgqina kaYehova lenza ilungiselelo lokuba INguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha YeZibhalo Ezingcwele iguqulelwe ngeelwimi zaseAfrika ezininzi neziphambili. Ngenxa yoko, namhlanje amakhulu amawaka abantu abathanda iBhayibhile eAfrika bayakwazi ukufunda INguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha ngolwimi lwabo lweenkobe. Ukuza kuthi ga ngoku, INguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha, epheleleyo okanye inxalenye yayo, ifumaneka ngeelwimi ezili-17 zomthonyama zaseAfrika.

Abafundi bezi Bhayibhile zeelwimi zaseAfrika bayakuvuyela ukuba nenguqulelo esebenzisa igama likaThixo elizukileyo, uYehova. Ngokomzekelo, xa uYesu wema kwindlu yesikhungu eNazarete, wavakalisa uthumo lwakhe ngokufunda inxalenye yomqulu kaIsaya, okhankanya igama likaYise. (Isaya 61:1, 2) Ngokutsho kweVangeli kaLuka njengoko iguqulelwe kwiNguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha, uYesu wafunda: “Umoya kaYehova uphezu kwam, ngenxa yokuba undithambisele ukuvakalisa iindaba ezilungileyo kumahlwempu, undithumele ukushumayela inkululo kubathinjwa nokubuyiselwa kokubona kwiimfama, ukukhulula abo batyunyuziweyo, ukushumayela unyaka wolwamkelo kaYehova.”—Luka 4:18, 19.

Esinye isiganeko esiphawulekayo ekuvelisweni kweBhayibhile ngeelwimi zaseAfrika senzeka ngoAgasti 2005. Kuloo nyanga, kwashicilelwa kwaza kwadityaniswa imibhalo engaphezu kwama-76 000 yeNguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha ngeelwimi ezithethwa eAfrika kwisebe lamaNgqina kaYehova laseMzantsi Afrika. Elo nani laliquka iiBhayibhile zesiShona ezingama-30 000. Olu hlelo lwakhululwa kwiiNdibano ‘Zokuthobela UThixo’ zamaNgqina kaYehova eZimbabwe.

Ebudeni balo nyanga ingasoze ilibaleke, iindwendwe ezazityelele isebe laseMzantsi Afrika zavuyiswa gqitha kukubona kushicilelwa iiBhayibhile ezintsha ngeelwimi zaseAfrika. UNhlanhla olilungu lentsapho yaseBheteli nosebenza apho zidityaniswa khona iincwadi, wathi: “Kwandivuyisa gqitha ukuba nelungelo lokuncedisa ekushicilelweni kweNguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha ngesiShona nangezinye iilwimi zaseAfrika.” Eneneni uchaza kanye indlela evakalelwa ngayo yonke intsapho yaseBheteli eMzantsi Afrika.

Ngoku abantu baseAfrika baza kufumana iiBhayibhile ezintsha ngokukhawuleza nangeendleko eziphantsi kunokuba kwakunjalo xa zazishicilelwa zize zithunyelwe zivela phesheya kolwandle. Okubaluleke ngakumbi, kukuba ngoku abantu baseAfrika banenguqulelo echanileyo esebenzisa igama elingcwele loMbhali obalaseleyo weBhayibhile, uYehova uThixo.

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Igama likaThixo kwiBhayibhile yesiTswana eyapapashwa ngowe-1840

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Harold Strange Library of African Studies

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Iindwendwe ezivela eSwaziland zijonge iiBhayibhile ezintsha ezishicilelwe kwisebe laseMzantsi Afrika