Incwadi Onokuyithemba—Icandelo 3

IBhabhiloni Kwimbali YeBhayibhile

Eli linqaku lelesithathu 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.

ISIXEKO saseBhabhiloni samandulo esasimi kwithafa elikwiikhilomitha ezingama-80 kumazantsi eBaghdad yanamhlanje, sasisithi ndijonge. IBhabhiloni eyayibiyelwe ngeendonga ezinkulu ezaziphindwe kabini kunye nomjelo wamanzi, yayibonakala ingenakoyiswa. Esi sixeko sasisaziwa ngeetempile ezimbejembeje nemiyezo emihle. Njengesinye sezixeko ezikhulu zamandulo, iBhabhiloni iye yabizwa ngokuba sisixeko esimangalisayo.

EBhayibhileni, esi sixeko sasibizwa ngokuba ‘yiNkosikazi Yezikumkani’ yaye sasilikomkhulu legunya lehlabathi lesithathu kwimbali yeBhayibhile. (Isaya 47:5) Njengokuba kwakunjalo ngobukhosi baseYiputa naseAsiriya, uBukhosi baseBhabhiloni badlala indima ephambili kwimbali yeBhayibhile, nto leyo esinceda sithelekise oko kuthethwa yiBhayibhile noko kuthethwa zezinye iincwadi zembali.

Imbali Enokuthenjwa

Incwadi yeBhayibhile kaDaniyeli isixelela ukuba indoda egama linguBheleshatsare yakha yaba ngukumkani waseBhabhiloni. (Daniyeli 5:1) Kodwa ke abanye ababhali-mbali bathi uBheleshatsare akazange ade abe ngukumkani, nangona wayebalasele. Ngaba iBhayibhile ayichananga? Abembi bezinto zakudala baye bafumana amacwecwe aliqela kumabhodlo aseUre yaseMesopotamiya. La maxwebhu abhalwe ngoonobumba abatsobhileyo awayevela kuKumkani uNabonidus ayequka umthandazo owawusenzelwa “uBel-sar-ussur, inkulu yam.” Izinto ezafunyanwa kamva zangqina ukuba uBheleshatsare, “waba libambela likayise malunga nesiqingatha solawulo lwakhe yaye ebudeni belo xesha wayengukumkani,” njengoko iNew Bible Dictionary isitsho.

Kwakhona imbali ibonisa ukuba iBhabhiloni yamandulo yayisisixeko sonqulo, esasizele kukuvumisa. Ngokomzekelo, kuHezekile 21:21 sifunda ukuba ukumkani waseBhabhiloni wasebenzisa ukuvumisa ukuze abone enoba angayihlasela iYerusalem kusini na. IBhayibhile ithi lo kumkani ‘wakhangela esibindini.’ Kwakutheni ukuze akhangele esibindini? AmaBhabhiloni ayesebenzisa isibindi xa evumisa. Incwadi ethi Mesopotamian Astrology ithi komnye ummandla waseBhabhiloni yamandulo, abembi bezinto zakudala bafumana “izibindi ezenziwe ngodongwe ezingama-32, zonke zibhalwe” imiqondiso.

Umembi wezinto zakudala ohlonelwayo uNelson Glueck wakha wathi: “Ndineminyaka engama-30 ndisemba ndiphethe iBhayibhile nomhlakulo yaye xa kufikwa kwimibandela yembali, andizange ndikhe ndiyifumanise ingachananga iBhayibhile.”

Isiprofeto Esinokuthenjwa

Ubunokuthini ukuba umntu othile ebenokukuxelela ukuba idolophu enkulu nelikomkhulu lelizwe, njengeBeijing, iMoscow okanye iWashington, D C. iza kuba ngamabhodlo angahlali bantu. Ubuya kuyithandabuza loo nto, phofu ufanele. Koko kanye okwenzekayo kwiBhabhiloni yamandulo. Kwiminyaka enokuba ngama-200 ngaphambili, malunga nonyaka wama-732 B.C.E., uYehova uThixo waphefumlela umprofeti uIsaya ongumHebhere ukuba abhale isiprofeto esingokuwa kweBhabhiloni eyayinamandla. UIsaya wathi: “IBhabhiloni, umhombiso wezikumkani, . . . imele ibe njengaxa uThixo wabhukuqa iSodom neGomora. Ayisoze imiwe, ingasoze ihlale izizukulwana ngezizukulwana.”—Isaya 13:19, 20.

Kwakutheni ukuze uThixo aprofete ngokutshatyalaliswa kweBhabhiloni? Ngonyaka wama-607 B.C.E., umkhosi waseBhabhiloni watshabalalisa iYerusalem waza wathimba abasindayo wabasa eBhabhiloni, apho bafika baphathwa ngenkohlakalo. (INdumiso 137:8, 9) UThixo waprofeta ukuba abantu bakhe kwakuya kufuneka banyamezele le mpatho kangangeminyaka engama-70 ngenxa yezono zabo. Emva koko uThixo wayeza kubakhulula aze ababuyisele kwilizwe labo.—Yeremiya 25:11; 29:10.

ILizwi likaThixo lesiprofeto lazaliseka ngowama-539 B.C.E, xa iminyaka engama-70 yokuthinjwa kukaYuda yayisele iza kuphela, ngokuthi isixeko saseBhabhiloni esasibonakala singenakoyiswa sibhukuqwe ngumkhosi wamaMedi namaPersi. Ekuhambeni kwexesha, eso sixeko sikhulu saba ngamabhodlo njengokuba kwakuprofetiwe. Akakho umntu owayenokuprofeta ngento enjalo. Kuyacaca ukuba ukuprofeta okanye ukuchaza iziganeko kwangaphambili, kwenza ukuba uMbhali weBhayibhile, uThixo oyinyaniso uYehova ahluke kubo bonke abanye oothixo.—Isaya 46:9, 10.

Isithembiso Onokusikholelwa

Kukho esinye isiprofeto esizalisekayo namhlanje. Esi siprofeto sithetha ngoKumkani uNebhukadenetsare waseBhabhiloni kunye nephupha lakhe lomfanekiso omkhulu. Umzimba walo mfanekiso wawuneenxalenye ezintlanu—intloko, isifuba neengalo, isisu namathanga, imilenze neenyawo—nxalenye nganye yenziwe ngesinyithi esahlukileyo. (Daniyeli 2:31-33) La malungu esinyithi ayemela oorhulumente okanye ubukhosi obabuza kulandelelana, ukususela kwiBhabhiloni ukuhla kuye kwigunya lamaNgesi namaMerika, igunya lesixhenxe ekuthethwe ngalo eBhayibhileni.—Daniyeli 2:36-41.

UDaniyeli usichazela ukuba iinyawo neenzwane zalo mfanekiso zahluke ngendlela ephawulekayo. Kwenzeka njani oku? Endaweni yesinyithi kwasetyenziswa umxube wentsimbi nodongwe. Ecacisela uNebhukadenetsare uDaniyeli wathi: “Njengoko intsimbi ixubene nodongwe olumanzi, ngoko ke baya kuxubana nenzala yoluntu; kodwa abayi kunamathelana, kanye njengoko nentsimbi ingaxubani nodongwe oluxonxiweyo.” (Daniyeli 2:43) Intsimbi nodongwe ‘azinamathelani.’ Lo mfanekiso ulichaza kakuhle ihlabathi lanamhlanje elahluleleneyo ngokwezopolitiko.

UDaniyeli uchaza enye into ephawulekayo eza kwenzeka. Ephupheni lakhe uKumkani uNebhukadenetsare wabona ilitye liqhephuka entabeni enkulu. Eli litye, ‘lawubetha umfanekiso lowo ezinyaweni zawo zentsimbi nodongwe oluxonxiweyo, lazityumza.’ (Daniyeli 2:34) Kodwa oku kuthetha ukuthini? Wawuphendula loo mbuzo uDaniyeli xa wathi: “Ngemihla yabo kumkani [ngexesha lokulawula kwegunya lokugqibela] uThixo wezulu uya kumisa ubukumkani obungenakuze bonakaliswe. Yaye obo bukumkani abuyi kudluliselwa kubo nabaphi na abanye abantu. Buya kuzityumza buziphelise zonke ezi zikumkani, buze bona bume ukusa kwixesha elingenammiselo.” (Daniyeli 2:44) Eso siprofeto sasisalatha kubukumkani obungazanga babonwa luluntu. UKumkani wabo nguYesu Kristu, uMesiya. Njengokuba sele kuchaziwe kumanqaku adluleyo olu ngcelele, uYesu uza kumtshabalalisa uSathana nabalandeli bakhe, abangabantu nabangumoya, azise uxolo nomanyano ehlabathini lonke.—1 Korinte 15:25.

[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 11]

“Ndineminyaka engama-30 ndisemba izinto zakudala . . . , yaye xa kufikwa kwimibandela yembali, andizange ndikhe ndiyifumanise ingachananga iBhayibhile.”—UNelson Glueck

[Ibhokisi ekwiphepha 12]

WACHAZWA NGEGAMA

Esinye sezona ziprofeto zibalaseleyo ngokuphathelele ukuwa kweBhabhiloni siquka umbhukuqi wayo, uKumkani uKoreshi wasePersi. Malunga neenkulungwane ezimbini ngaphambi kokuba uKoreshi alawule, uYehova uThixo wamchaza ngegama waza waprofeta ukuba nguye owayeza koyisa iBhabhiloni.

Ethetha ngoloyiso lukaKoreshi, uIsaya waphefumlelwa ukuba athi: “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.” Kwakhona uThixo waprofeta ukuba uMlambo umEfrate wawuza koma.—Isaya 45:1-3; Yeremiya 50:38.

Ababhali-mbali abangamaGrike uHerodotus noXenophon bayakungqina ukuzaliseka kwesi siprofeto. Bathi uKoreshi wajika uMlambo umEfrate waza woma umjelo wamanzi owawubiyele iBhabhiloni. Ngoko ke, amajoni kaKoreshi angena ngamasango esixeko, awayevuliwe. Njengokuba kwakuprofetiwe iBhabhiloni enamandla yawa “ngequbuliso” ngobusuku nje obunye.—Yeremiya 51:8.

[Ibhokisi/Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 12, 13]

IBHABHILONI ENKULU

Incwadi yeBhayibhile yeSityhilelo ithetha ngehenyukazi lokomfuziselo ekuthiwa ‘yiBhabhiloni Enkulu.’ (ISityhilelo 17:5) Limela ntoni eli henyukazi? Ubungqina bubonisa ukuba eli henyukazi limela unqulo.

IBhabhiloni yamandulo yayisisixeko esiluthanda kakhulu unqulo, sineetempile ezingaphezu kwama-50 zoothixo abahlukahlukeneyo. AmaBhabhiloni ayekholelwa koothixo abangoobathathu emnye nasekubeni umphefumlo awufi kodwa uya kwindawo emnyama, kwelemimoya. IFunk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia ithi, “ubomi basemva kwengcwaba bubonisa indlela ekubuhlungu ngayo ukuphila kulo mhlaba.”

Ekuhambeni kwexesha ezo mfundiso zasasazeka emhlabeni wonke. Namhlanje ezo mfundiso okanye ezinye ezisekelwe kuzo ziyafundiswa kwiicawa zeNgqobhoko. Xa zizonke ezi cawa ziyinxalenye enkulu yonqulo lomhlaba wonke ekuthiwa yiBhabhiloni Enkulu.

[Imifanekiso]

AmaBhabhiloni ayenqula oothixo abathathu ababalaseleyo. Kulo mfanekiso kuboniswe abo thixo bathathu, uSin, uShamash, noIshtar

[Inkcazelo]

Both images: Photograph taken by courtesy of the British Museum

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 10]

Umzobo wesixeko saseBhabhiloni yamandulo

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 11]

Icwecwe lodongwe elinegama likaBheleshatsare

[Inkcazelo]

Photograph taken by courtesy of the British Museum

[Inkcazelo Ngemifanekiso ekwiphepha 10]

Time line: Egyptian wall relief and bust of Nero: Photograph taken by courtesy of the British Museum; Persian wall relief: Musée du Louvre, Paris