Incwadi Onokuyithemba—Icandelo 4

AmaMedi NamaPersi Kwimbali YeBhayibhile

Eli linqaku lesine 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.

AMABHODLO amabhotwe namangcwaba asebukhosini asikrobisa nje ngefestile kubukhazikhazi, amandla nobutyebi bezikumkani zamandulo ezibini zamaMedi namaPersi. Ngaphambi kokuba ezi zikumkani zibini zimanyane, amaMedi ayebobona bukhosi bukhulu. Kodwa ngowe-550 B.C.E., amaMedi aba ngaphantsi koKumkani wamaPersi uKoreshi II, owathi kamva walawula ubukumkani bamaMedi namaPersi. Lo mmandla okumntla wePersian Gulf, ekugqibeleni wasuka kuLwandle iAegean waya kutsho eYiputa nakumntla-ntshona welaseIndiya kuquka nelakwaYuda.

AmaMedi namaPersi alawula uhlanga lwamaYuda ngaphezu kweminyaka engama-200—ukususela ekubhukuqeni kwawo iBhabhiloni ngowama-539 B.C.E. ukusa ekoyisweni kwawo ngamaGrike ngowama-331 B.C.E. Iincwadi ezininzi zeBhayibhile zithetha ngeziganeko ezibalulekileyo ezenzeka ngelo xesha.

Imbali Enokuthenjwa

IBhayibhile ithi, uKumkani uKoreshi II wakhulula amaYuda ekuthinjweni eBhabhiloni wawavumela ukuba abuyele eYerusalem, ukuze aphinde akhe itempile kaThixo eyayitshatyalaliswe ngamaBhabhiloni ngowe-607 B.C.E. (Ezra 1:1-7; 6:3-5) Icwecwe lodongwe ekuthiwa yiCyrus Cylinder nelafunyanwa ngowe-1879 kumabhodlo eBhabhiloni yamandulo liyayingqina loo nto. Eli cwecwe limchaza ngegama uKoreshi yaye lithi wayedla ngokubuyisela abantu abathinjiweyo kunye nezithixo zabo kumazwe abo. Umbhali weBhayibhile uIsaya wabhala isiprofeto sikaYehova ngokuphathelele uKoreshi esithi: “‘Konke oko ndiyoliswa kuko uya kukuphumeza ngokupheleleyo’; athi ngeYerusalem, ‘Iya kubuya yakhiwe,’ nangetempile, ‘Siya kubekwa isiseko sakho.’”—Isaya 44:28.

Eneneni, uEzra 6:3, 4 uthi uKoreshi wayalela ukuba imali yokwakha itempile ‘iphume endlwini kakumkani.’ Nako oku kuyangqinelana nezinye iincwadi zembali. Incwadi ethi Persia and the Bible ithi: “Kwakuyinkqubo yookumkani basePersi ukuncedisa ekwakhiweni kweetempile zemimandla yabo.”

IBhayibhile ithi kamva abachasi bamaYuda babhalela uDariyo Omkhulu (okwabizwa ngokuba nguDariyo I) bephikisa amaYuda awayesithi uKoreshi wayeyalele ukuba kuphindwe kwakhiwe itempile. UDariyo wayalela ukuba kukhangelwe umbhalo wala myalelo wokuqala. Waba yintoni umphumo? Umsongo owawunomyalelo kaKoreshi wafunyanwa kwikomkhulu lelo lizwe, iEkbhatana. Ngenxa yoko uDariyo wabhala wathi: “Mna, Dariyo, ndikhupha umyalelo. Mawenziwe [kwakhiwe itempile] ngokukhawuleza.” Emva koko abachasi behla nomcinga.a—Ezra 6:2, 7, 12, 13.

Nezinye iincwadi zembali ziyazixhasa iinkcukacha ezibhalwe apha. Okukuqala, iEkbhatana yayiyindawo awayehlala kuyo ehlotyeni uKoreshi yaye kusenokwenzeka ukuba wayelapho xa wakhupha umyalelo wokwakhiwa kwetempile. Kwakhona, ubungqina bezinto zakudala ezembiwayo bubonisa ukuba ookumkani bamaMedi namaPersi babenomdla kwimibandela yonqulo yommandla wabo yaye babedla ngokubhala iileta zokucombulula iingxabano.

Imbali Enokuthenjwa

Kwiphupha elaliphefumlelwe nguThixo, umprofeti uDaniyeli wabona amarhamncwa amane ephuma elwandle yaye ngalinye lalimela igunya lehlabathi elithile. Irhamncwa lokuqala elaliyingonyama enamaphiko limela iBhabhiloni. Elesibini ‘lalifana nebhere.’ Iphupha lihlabela mgama lisithi: “Kwathiwa kulo, ‘Suka, udle inyama eninzi.’” (Daniyeli 7:5) Le bhere yoyikekayo yayifanekisela amaMedi namaPersi.

Njengokuba uDaniyeli wayeprofetile, amaMedi namaPersi ayesoloko enxanelwe uloyiso. Kungekudala nje emva kombono kaDaniyeli, uKoreshi woyisa amaMedi waza emva koko walwa neLidiya neBhabhiloni. Unyana wakhe uCambyses II woyisa iYiputa. Kamva abalawuli bamaMedi namaPersi babandisa ubukhosi babo.

Sinokuqiniseka njani ukuba ichanile indlela ochazwa ngayo lo mbono? Komnye ohlobene nalo, uDaniyeli wabona inkunzi yegusha “ilekuza ibhekisa ngasentshona nangasemntla nangasemzantsi.” Eso siprofeto sazaliseka xa amaMedi namaPersi ‘alekuza’ ezinye iintlanga kuquka iBhabhiloni enamandla. Ingelosi kaThixo yachazela uDaniyeli intsingiselo yalo mbono isithi: “Inkunzi yegusha oyibonileyo ineempondo ezimbini imela ookumkani bamaMedi namaPersi.”—Daniyeli 8:3, 4, 20.

Ngaphezu koko, kwiinkulungwane ezimbini ngaphambi kokoyiswa kweBhabhiloni, umprofeti uIsaya wachaza igama lokumkani wasePersi owayeza kuyoyisa, owayengekazalwa nokuzalwa ngelo xesha, kuquka nendlela awayeza kuyihlasela ngayo iBhabhiloni. UIsaya wathi: “Utsho uYehova kothanjisiweyo wakhe, kuKoreshi, osandla sakhe sokunene ndisibambileyo, ukuze ndoyise iintlanga phambi kwakhe, . . . ukuze ndivule phambi kwakhe iingcango ezivulwa ngambini, khon’ ukuze namasango angavalwa.” (Isaya 45:1) UIsaya noYeremiya baprofeta besithi ‘imilambo’ yaseBhabhiloni okanye imijelo eyayivela kuMlambo umEfrate neyayikhusela iBhabhiloni yayiza koma. (Isaya 44:27; Yeremiya 50:38) Ababhali-mbali abangamaGrike uHerodotus noXenophon bayakungqina ukuchana kwezi ziprofeto zeBhayibhile, kuquka nento yokuba amaBhabhiloni ayenetheko ngobusuku uKoreshi awahlasela ngabo isixeko. (Isaya 21:5, 9; Daniyeli 5:1-4, 30) Ekubeni wawujikiwe uMlambo umEfrate, umkhosi kaKoreshi wangena esixekweni ngamasango avulekileyo yaye akuzange kufuneke ulwe. Ngobusuku nje obunye iBhabhiloni yawa.

Naso esi siganeko sakhokelela ekuzalisekeni kwesinye isiprofeto. Umprofeti uYeremiya wayeprofetile ukuba abantu bakaThixo babeya kuthinjwa eBhabhiloni kangangeminyaka engama-70. (Yeremiya 25:11, 12; 29:10) Eso siprofeto sazaliseka kanye ngexesha yaye abathinjwa babuyela elizweni labo.

Isithembiso Onokusikholelwa

Kungekudala nje emva kokuba amaMedi namaPersi oyise iBhabhiloni, uDaniyeli wabhala isiprofeto esisinceda siqonde esona siganeko sibalulekileyo ekuzalisekeni kwenjongo kaThixo ngabantu. Ingelosi uGabriyeli yachazela uDaniyeli elona xesha lokuvela kukaMesiya, “imbewu” eyayithenjiswe kwiGenesis 3:15! Ingelosi kaThixo yathi: “Ukususela ekuphumeni kwelizwi lokuba ibuyiselwe ize yakhiwe kwakhona iYerusalem kude kuse kuMesiya iNkokeli, yoba ziiveki ezisixhenxe, neeveki ezingamashumi amathandathu anesibini,” iiveki ezingama-69. (Daniyeli 9:25) Eli xesha lesiprofeto laliza kuqala nini?

Nangona uKoreshi wawavumela amaYuda ukuba abuyele kwilizwe lawo, kwadlula iminyaka emininzi iYerusalem neendonga zayo zingekakhiwa. Ngowe-455 B.C.E., uKumkani uArtashashta wanika umngcamli ongumYuda uNehemiya imvume yokubuyela eYerusalem ukuze akhokele kumsebenzi wokwakhiwa kwakhona kweYerusalem. (Nehemiya 2:1-6) Zaqala ngelo xesha iiveki ezingama-69.

Noko ke, ezi veki zingama-69 yayingezizo iiveki eziqhelekileyo ezineentsuku ezisixhenxe kodwa yayiziiveki zoonyaka. Ezinye iinguqulelo zeBhayibhile zide ziliguqulele eli gama lithi “iiveki” ngokuthi “iiveki zoonyaka.”b (Daniyeli 9:24, 25) UMesiya wayeza kuvela emva “kweeveki” ezingama-69 yaye veki nganye kuzo yayineminyaka esixhenxe—xa iyonke yayiyiminyaka engama-483. Esi siprofeto sazaliseka ngowe-29 C.E. xa uYesu wabhaptizwayo, emva kweminyaka engama-483 ukususela ngowe-455 B.C.E.c

Ukuzaliseka kwesiprofeto sikaDaniyeli ngokuchanileyo kuyinxalenye yobungqina obuninzi bokuba ungubani uYesu. Kwakhona obu bungqina busenza siqiniseke ngethemba esinalo ngekamva. UYesu onguKumkani woBukumkani bukaThixo uza kuluphelisa ulawulo lwabantu olukhohlakeleyo. Emva koko uya kuzalisekisa iziprofeto ezininzi kuquka nezo zokuvuswa kwabantu abafileyo ukuze baphile ngonaphakade kwiParadesi esemhlabeni.—Daniyeli 12:2; Yohane 5:28, 29; ISityhilelo 21:3-5.

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]

[Isicangca/Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 18]

(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)

455 B.C.E. 29 C.E.

Ukusuka kumyalelo wokuba iphinde yakhiwe iYerusalem ukuya kuthi ga ekubonakaleni kukaMesiya yaba yiminyaka engama-483

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 16, 17]

“ICyrus Cylinder” ithi abathinjwa babebuyiselwa kumazwe abo

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 17]

Ingcwaba likaKoreshi lisekho kumabhodlo ePasargadae yamandulo kwi-Iran yanamhlanje

[Inkcazelo Ngemifanekiso ekwiphepha 17]

Page 16, 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, Cyrus Cylinder: Photograph taken by courtesy of the British Museum; page 17, Cyrus’ tomb: © Richard Ashworth/age fotostock