IBhayibhile—Incwadi Yesiprofeto Esichanileyo, Inxalenye 2

Sabani KwiBhabhiloni!

Olu ngcelele luneenxalenye ezisibhozo kuVukani! luhlolisisa inkalo ebalaseleyo yeBhayibhile—iziprofeto zayo, okanye izinto eyazichazayo. La manqaku aza kukunceda ufumane iimpendulo zale mibuzo: Ngaba iziprofeto zeBhayibhile zizinto nje ezaziqikelelwa ngabantu abakrelekrele? Ngaba ngokwenene ziphefumlelwe nguThixo? Siyakucela ukuba ukhe uhlolisise obu bungqina.

KWINQAKU lolu ngcelele elandulelayo, siye saxubusha ngeziprofeto ezithathu zeBhayibhile eziphathelele inzala ka-Abraham. Ubungqina bubonisa ukuba uThixo wazalisekisa ezo ziprofeto ngohlanga loSirayeli wamandulo, olwaluyinzala ka-Abraham.

IBhabhiloni yamandulo sesinye isizwe esaba nendima ebalulekileyo kwimbali yeBhayibhile, ngakumbi kwinkulungwane yesixhenxe ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo. Makhe siqwalasele iziprofeto zeBhayibhile ezithathu eziphathelele obu bukumkani size sibone enoba bukho kusini na ubungqina bokuba zaphefumlelwa nguThixo.

Umprofeti uMoses wabalumkisa wathi abantu boSirayeli wamandulo: “Ukuba uthe wamlibala uYehova uThixo wakho, walandela thixo bambi, wabakhonza, waqubuda kubo, . . . niya kutshabalala ngenene.” (Duteronomi 8:19; 11:8, 9) Sekunjalo, amaSirayeli aqhubeka emvukela uThixo ngokunqula izithixo.—1 Kumkani 14:22-24.

Emva kwexesha, umonde kaThixo waphela, wabayeka abantu bakhe abangathembekanga bawela esandleni seBhabhiloni. Phantsi koKumkani uNebhukadenetsare—okwabizwa ngokuthi Nebhukaderetsare—umkhosi weBhabhiloni weza kulwa noSirayeli, wayingqinga iYerusalem. Ngaba olo ngqingo lwalunentsingiselo? Makhe siqwalasele oko kwabhalwa ngumprofeti uYeremiya kwiminyaka engama-20 ngaphambi kweso siganeko.—Yeremiya 25:1.

Isiprofeto 1: ‘Ngenxa yokuba nina maSirayeli ningawathobelanga amazwi am [Thixo], yabona, ndiya kuthumela kuNebhukaderetsare ukumkani waseBhabhiloni, ndiyizise iBhabhiloni nxamnye neli lizwe nabemi balo. Lonke eli lizwe limele libe yindawo ephanzileyo, into yokukhwankqiswa, nezi ntlanga ziya kumkhonza ukumkani waseBhabhiloni iminyaka engamashumi asixhenxe.’—Yeremiya 25:8-11.

Inzaliseko: Emva kokuyingqinga ixesha elide, uNebhukadenetsare wayitshabalalisa iYerusalem ngowama-607 B.C.E. Woyisa nezinye izixeko zakwaYuda, kuquka iLakishe neAzeka. (Yeremiya 34:6, 7) Wathimba inkoliso yabo basindileyo wayisa eBhabhiloni nalapho yagcinwa khona iminyaka engama-70.

Oko kutyhilwa yimbali:

● IBhayibhile ichaza uNebhukadenetsare njengokumkani waseBhabhiloni ngexesha lokutshatyalaliswa kweYerusalem. Ubungqina obufunyenwe ngabembi bezinto zakudala buxhasa le ngxelo yeBhayibhile yokuba wayekho. Ilitye elinomfanekiso okroliweyo elixhonywe eFlorence, eItali. Linombhalo othi: “Isikhumbuzo sikaMerodaki, inkosi yakhe, uNebhukadenetsare, ukumkani waseBhabhiloni, ngexesha lokuphila kwayo yakwenza oku.” UNebhukadenetsare walawula ukususela ngowama-624 ukusa kowama-582 B.C.E.

● Incwadi ethi The Bible and Archaeology ithi, izinto eziye zembiwa nezafunyanwa eLakishe zingqina oku: “Intshabalalo yokugqibela yaba nogonyamelo, kangangokuba umlilo owatshabalalisa isixeko [saseLakishe] wazishiya iindonga zaso ziyikalika nje kuphela.”

Isiprofeto 2: “Ngokuvisisana nokuzaliseka kweminyaka engamashumi asixhenxe eBhabhiloni [mna Yehova] ndiya kuphethulela ingqalelo yam kuni, kwaye ndiya kulimisela kuni ilizwi lam elilungileyo ngokunibuyisela kule ndawo [kwelakwaYuda].”—Yeremiya 29:10.

Inzaliseko: Emva kweminyaka engama-70 amaYuda esekuthinjweni, ukususela ngowama-607 ukusa kowama-537 B.C.E., uKumkani uKoreshi wasePersi wawakhulula wawavumela ukuba abuyele kwilizwe lawo ukuze aphinde ayakhe itempile eYerusalem.—Ezra 1:2-4.

Oko kutyhilwa yimbali:

● Ngaba amaSirayeli aba sekuthinjweni eBhabhiloni iminyaka engama-70 njengokuba iBhayibhile yayitshilo? Yiva oko kuthethwa ngumembi wezinto zakudala ophambili ongumSirayeli, uEphraim Stern. Uthi, “Ukususela ngowama-604 B.C.E. ukusa kowama-538 B.C.E.—akukho bungqina bubonisa ukuba kwakuhlala abantu kwaSirayeli. Lonke elo xesha, akukho nanye idolophu eyatshatyalaliswa yiBhabhiloni eyaphinda yahlala abantu.” Ubungqina bokuba kwakungekho bantu bahlala apho ngelo xesha buvumelana nengxelo yokuthinjelwa kwamaSirayeli eBhabhiloni ngowama-607 ukusa kowama-537 B.C.E.—2 Kronike 36:20, 21.

● Izizwe zamandulo kulo lonke elaseMesopotamiya zazibhala kumacwecwe odongwe oluthambileyo. Elinye icwecwe lodongwe oluqinileyo, elaziwa ngokuba liLitye Elikroliweyo likaKoreshi, labhalwa malunga nowama-539 B.C.E., nyaka lowo uKumkani uKoreshi wasePersi awabhukuqa ngawo uBukhosi beBhabhiloni. Enye ingxelo ifundeka ngolu hlobo: “NdinguKoreshi, . . . ukumkani waseBhabhiloni.” Iqhubeka ithi: “Ndabuyisela [oko kwakubizwa ngokuba] zizixeko ezingcwele ezingaphaya kweTigris, iitempile ebezitshatyalaliswe kangangexesha elide, imifanekiso (eyayikade) ihlala apho . . . (Kwakhona) ndiqokelele bonke (ababesakuba) ngabemi bazo ndababuyisela (kuzo) iindawo zabo.”

Lo mthombo wehlabathi uyavumelana nesiprofeto seBhayibhile sokuba amaYuda awayethinjiwe ayeza kubuyiselwa kwilizwe lawo—isiprofeto esabhalwa malunga neminyaka engama-200 ngaphambili.

Isiprofeto 3: “IBhabhiloni, umhombiso wezikumkani, ubuhle beqhayiya lamaKhaledi, imele ibe njengaxa uThixo wabhukuqa iSodom neGomora. Ayisoze imiwe.”—Isaya 13:19, 20.

Inzaliseko: Kwiziganeko ezihlasimlis’ umzimba ezenzekayo, igunya lehlabathi elinamandla iBhabhiloni loyiswa ngumkhosi wamaMedi namaPersi ngowama-539 B.C.E.a Izinto azizange ziphinde zisihambele kakuhle eso sixeko. Kunoko, sathi ngcembe siphela de saba yingqushu ‘asabi nabemi.’—Yeremiya 51:37.

Oko kutyhilwa yimbali:

● IBhabhiloni yatshatyalaliswa ngokupheleleyo kangangokuba umphengululi uTom Boiy uthetha “ngababhali-mbhali nabakhenkethi baseNtshona benkulungwane yeshumi elinesithandathu ukuya kweyeshumi elinesibhozo” ababeqhelene nezinto ezibalulekileyo esasinokubonwa ngaso eso sixeko kodwa bengakwazi kuyifumanisa “eyona ndawo sikuyo.”

● Ngowe-1919, uH. R. Hall, ongumgcini wezinto zakudala zaseYiputa nezaseAsiriya kwiMyuziyam yaseBritani, uyichaza ngale ndlela iBhabhiloni: “Yimfumba yeendonga ezadilikayo . . . nezithe mome yisanti.”

Sisiphi isigqibo esifikelela kuso xa sihlolisisa inzaliseko yezi ziprofeto? Kuyacaca ukuba ngokufuthi iBhayibhile iye yangqineka iyincwadi yesiprofeto esichanileyo. Iziprofeto eziphathelele uYuda neBhabhiloni zazaliseka njengokuba zinjalo!

IYerusalem yatshatyalaliswa ngenxa yokuba abantu bengazange baphulaphule izilumkiso zikaThixo zokuba baphephe ihambo angayifuniyo. Emva kweminyaka engama-70 yokuthinjelwa eBhabhiloni okwakuxelwe ngaphambili, amaSirayeli akhululwa ukuba abuyele eYerusalem. Isixeko seBhabhiloni samandulo satshatyalaliswa kanye ngendlela esasichazwe ngayo, yaye asikabi nabemi nanamhlanje. Kodwa le yimbinana nje kwintlaninge yeziprofeto zeBhayibhile.

Inkupho yethu elandelayo iza kuxubusha ngendlela iziganeko zenkulungwane yokuqala yeXesha Eliqhelekileyo ezaxelwa ngayo kwangaphambili. Nazo ezi ziprofeto zazalisekayo zisenza sibe nentembelo yokuba iBhayibhile ichanile.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Isicangca esikwiphepha 12, 13]

(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)

AMAXESHA EZIGANEKO ZEBHABHILONI

c. Ngowama-732 B.C.E.: UIsaya uxela kwangaphambili ngokuwa kweBhabhiloni

(B.C.E.)

647 UYeremiya wenziwa umprofeti

632 IBhabhiloni ibhukuqa iAsiriya

625 UNebhukadenetsare uqalisa ukulawula

617 UDaniyeli noHezekile basiwa eBhabhiloni

607 UNebhukadenetsare utshabalalisa iYerusalem

582 Ulawulo lukaNebhukadenetsare luyaphela

539 IBhabhiloni yoyiswa ngamaMedi namaPersi

537 AmaYuda athinjiweyo ayakhululwa ukuba abuyele eYerusalem

AmaYuda agqiba iminyaka engama-70 ethinjwe eBhabhiloni

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 12]

IiLeta zaseLakishe zixhasa ingxelo kaYeremiya yokoyiswa kukaYuda yiBhabhiloni

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 13]

ILitye Elikroliweyo likaKoreshi libhalwe umthetho wakhe wokubuyiselwa kwabathinjwa kumazwe abo

[Inkcazelo Ngemifanekiso ekwiphepha 13]

Page 12, Lachish Letter: Photograph taken by courtesy of the British Museum; page 13, Cyrus Cylinder: © The Trustees of the British Museum