Amazwe Oosolusapho

USTEFANO waqalisa intetho yakhe edumileyo ngokuthi gqaba gqaba ngemimandla ethile, esithi: “[UYehova] wabonakala kukhokho wethu uAbraham ngoxa wayeseMesopotamiya, ngaphambi kokuba ahlale kwaHaran, yaye wathi kuye, ‘Phuma . . . uze kwilizwe endiya kukubonisa lona.’” (IZe 7:1-4) Lo myalelo wakhokelela ekuphunyezweni kweziganeko ezibalulekileyo kwiLizwe Lesithembiso, ezibandakanya uAbraham, uIsake, noYakobi, ziganeko ezo ezinokuthanani nenjongo kaThixo yokusikelela uluntu.—Gen 12:1-3; Yos 24:3.

UThixo wambiza uAbraham (okanye, uAbram) ukuba aphume kwiUre yamaKhaledi, eyayisisixeko esichumileyo esasingakunxweme olusempuma loMlambo umEfrate. Yiyiphi indlela awahamba ngayo uAbraham? Ukusuka kuloo mmandla wamaKhaledi, owawukwabizwa ngokuba yiSumere okanye iShinare, kwakunokubonakala kulula ukuya ngasentshona. Kwakutheni ke ukuze aye kwaHaran?

IUre yayingasekupheleni kwencam esempuma yoMmandla Ochumileyo, osusela ePalestina ukuya kuma ngentlambo ephakathi komlambo iTigrisi nomEfrate. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba ngaphambili amaqondo obushushu kulo mmandla ayephantsi gqitha. Ngezantsi kwawo kukho iNtlango iSyro-Arabia, eneenduli ezinekalika namathafa anentlabathi. IThe Encyclopædia Britannica ithi “kwakunzima gqitha ukungena kuloo mmandla” owawuphakathi koNxweme lweMeditera neMesopotamiya. Abanye abakhenkethi abahamba ngeenkamela babenqumla kumlambo umEfrate bawelele kwintlango iTademore baze baye eDamasko, kodwa yena uAbraham, intsapho kwakunye nemfuyo yakhe abazange banqumle kuloo ntlango.

UAbraham wakhetha ukugudla intlambo yoMlambo umEfrate waya kwaHaran. Ukusuka apho, ukuba wayethanda ngewayehambe ngendlela yabarhwebi engena kwizibuko laseKarkemishe, ize ifike yehlele eDamasko iye kuqhina kuLwandle olwalubizwa ngokuba lolwaseGalili. Loo “Ndlela igugutha uLwandle” yayidlula eMegido, iye kutsho eYiputa. Kunokuba ahambe ngayo, uAbraham wanqumla kwiintaba zaseSamariya, waya kugxumeka iintente kwaShekem. Ethubeni, waphinda waqhubeka naloo ndlela igugutha ezintabeni. Yithi chu naye njengoko ufunda iGenesis 12:8–13:4. Phawula nezi ndawo zilandelayo awanyathela nakuzo: KwaDan, eDamasko, eHobha, eMamre, eSodom, eGerare, eBher-shebha, naseMoriya (eYerusalem).—Gen 14:14-16; 18:1-16; 20:1-18; 21:25-34; 22:1-19.

Ukwazi ngakumbi ngezinye zezi ndawo kwenza siziqonde ngokucacileyo iziganeko ezenzeka kubomi bukaIsake noYakobi. Ngokomzekelo, ngoxa uAbraham wayeseBher-shebha, wamthuma phi umkhonzi wakhe ukuya kufunela uIsake umfazi? Wamthuma emantla eMesopotamiya (oko kukuthi, “Ilizwe Eliphakathi Kwemilambo”) kummandla wasePadan-aram. Ngoko khawucinge nje ngolo hambo lunzima lukaRebheka ekhwele enkameleni esiya kuIsake eNegebhi, ekusenokwenzeka ukuba yayikufutshane neKadeshe.—Gen 24:10, 62-64.

Kamva unyana wabo uYakobi (uSirayeli) naye wahamba umgama omde ngokufanayo esiya kutshata nomkhonzi kaYehova. Noko ke, ekubuyeleni kwakhe kwilizwe lakowabo, uYakobi wahamba ngendlela eyahlukileyo. Emva kokuba ewele iYabhoki ekufutshane nePenuweli, uYakobi wajijisana nengelosi. (Gen 31:21-25; 32:2, 22-30) Apho wadibana noEsawu, baza emva koko baya kuhlala kwimimandla eyahlukeneyo.—Gen 33:1, 15-20.

Emva kokuba intombi kaYakobi uDina yadlwengulwayo kwaShekem, uYakobi wafudukela eBheteli. Noko ke, ngaba unokuwuthelekelela umgama abawuhambayo oonyana bakaYakobi ukuya kwalusa umhlambi wakhe, nalapho wabafumana khona uYosefu ekugqibeleni? Le maphu (naleyo ikwiphepha 18-19) inokukunceda ubone umgama ophakathi kweHebron neDotan. (Gen 35:1-8; 37:12-17) Abantakwabo Yosefu bamthengisa kubarhwebi ababesinge eYiputa. Ucinga ukuba basebenzisa yiphi indlela ukuya eYiputa, ndlela leyo eyaphinda yahanjwa ngamaSirayeli ngethuba leMfuduko?—Gen 37:25-28.

[Iimaphu ezikwiphepha 7]

(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)

Uhambo Luka-Abraham (yiya kwimpapasho)

Uhambo LukaIsake (yiya kwimpapasho)

Uhambo LukaYakobi (yiya kwimpapasho)

Iindlela Ezinkulu (yiya kwimpapasho)

Oosolusapho (amabal’ engwe)

A4 IGOSHEN

A5 IYIPUTA

B4 ISHURE

B5 IPARAN

C3 IDamasko

C3 KwaDan (ILayishe)

C4 KwaShekem

C4 IBheteli

C4 IHebron (IKiriyati-arbha)

C4 IGerare

C4 IBher-shebha

C4 ISEHIRE

C4 IKadeshe

C5 KWAEDOM

D1 IKarkemishe

D2 ITademore

D3 IHobha

E1 IPADAN-ARAM

E1 IHaran

F2 IMESOPOTAMIYA

G1 INineve

G2 UMMANDLA OCHUMILEYO

G3 IBhabhiloni

H4 IKHALEDI

H4 IUre

[Iintaba]

C4 IMoriya

[Amanzi]

B3 Ulwandle LweMeditera (Ulwandle Olukhulu)

[Imilambo]

E2 UmEfrate

G2 ITigris

Oosolusapho (kwiLizwe Lesithembiso)

IKANANA

IMegido

IGILIYADI

IDotan

KwaShekem

ISukoti

IMahanayim

IPenuweli

IBheteli (ILuzi)

IAyi

IYerusalem (ISalem)

IBhetelehem (IEfrata)

IMamre

IHebron (IMakaphela)

IGerare

IBher-shebha

ISodom?

INEGEBHI

IRehobhoti?

IBhere-lahayi-royi

IKadeshe

Iindlela Ezinkulu

Indlela Egugutha Ulwandle

Indlela Kakumkani

[Iintaba]

IMoriya

[Amanzi]

Ulwandle LweTyuwa

[Imilambo nemijelo]

IYabhoki

IYordan

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 6]

UMlambo umEfrate okufutshane neBhabhiloni

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 6]

UAbraham wayehlala eBher-shebha waza walusa imihlambi kufutshane nalapho

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 6]

Intlambo yeYabhoki