UKUKHULUMA nje nge-Asiriya kubantu baseMpumelanga Ephakathi yasendulo cishe kwakubenza bathuthumele. Ngokwencwadi yeBhayibheli kaJona, lapho lo mprofethi ethunywa uNkulunkulu ukuba ayomemezela isigijimi sesahlulelo enhloko-dolobha yase-Asiriya iNineve, wabalekela kwenye indawo! (Jona 1:1-3) Cishe lokhu wakwenza ngenxa yedumela le-Asiriya elithusayo.

Umprofethi waseBhayibhelini uNahume wachaza iNineve ‘njengesikhundla sezingonyama,’ ‘nanjengomuzi wokuchithwa kwegazi.’  Wanezela: “Ayisuki inyamazane ebanjiwe! Kukhona umsindo wesiswebhu nomsindo wokugedlezela kwesondo, nehhashi eligadulayo nenqola egxumayo. Inkweli yehhashi egibele, nelangabi lenkemba, nombani womkhonto, nababuleweyo abaningi, noquqaba olukhulu lwezidumbu; izidumbu zakhona azipheli. Baqhubeka bekhubeka phakathi kwezidumbu zakubo.” (Nahume 2:11; 3:1-3) Ingabe umlando wezwe uyakufakazela lokho okuchazwa iBhayibheli nge-Asiriya lasendulo?

Incwadi ethi Light From the Ancient Past ibiza i-Asiriya ngokuthi “umshini wokulwa ononya owenza izitha zawo zesabe.” Okulandelayo kubonisa indlela enye inkosi yase-Asiriya u-Ashurnasirpal II, aqhosha ngayo ngendlela ayebaphatha ngayo labo ababephikisana naye:

“Ngakha insika ngasesangweni lomuzi wakhe, ngayobula isikhumba sazo zonke izinduna ezazivukela, nganameka le nsika ngesikhumba sazo; abanye ngabafaka phakathi kuyo, abanye ngababethela ezigxotsheni ezaziphezu kwayo, . . . futhi nganqamula izitho zemizimba yezikhulu, izikhulu zasebukhosini ezazivukela. . . . Iningi lababethunjiwe ngalishisa ngomlilo, abaningi ngabathumba.” Lapho abavubukuli bemba izigodlo zase-Asiriya, bathola izindonga zihlotshiswe ngemidwebo ethusayo eveza indlela izithunjwa ezazijeziswa ngayo.

Ngonyaka ka-740 B.C.E., i-Asiriya lanqoba iSamariya, elaliyinhloko-dolobha yombuso wakwa-Israyeli osenyakatho lathumba abantu bakhona. Ngemva kweminyaka engu-8, i-Asiriya lahlasela uJuda. * (2 AmaKhosi 18:13) INkosi yase-Asiriya uSaneheribi yaphoqa iNkosi yakwaJuda uHezekiya ukuba ikhokhe intela engamathalenta egolide angu-30 namathalenta esiliva angu-300. Ukulandisa kweBhayibheli kubonisa ukuthi le ntela yakhokhwa. Noma kunjalo, uSaneheribi waphikelela ngokuthi inhloko-dolobha yakwaJuda iJerusalema, izinikele kuye ngokuphelele.—2 AmaKhosi 18:9-17, 28-31.

ENineve abavubukuli bathole ukulandisa okuphathelene nezenzakalo ezifanayo emibhalweni yomlando kaSaneheribi. Kule mibhalo eqoshwe ezindengezini, inkosi yase-Asiriya yaqhosha ngokuthi: “Ngokuphathelene noHezekiya, umJuda, akazange azithobe ngaphansi kwejoka lami, ngavimbezela imizi yakhe enamandla engu-46, izinqaba nemizana eminingi futhi ngayinqoba. . . . Yena [uHezekiya] ngamenza isiboshwa eJerusalema, esigodlweni sakhe, njengenyoni evalelwe.” USaneheribi wabe esethi uHezekiya wamthumelela “amathalenta egolide angu-30, amathalenta esiliva angu-800, amatshe ayigugu,  . . nayo yonke inhlobo yezinto eziyigugu,” enza ihaba ngenani lamathalente esiliva ayewatholile.

Nokho, phawula ukuthi uSaneheribi akasho ukuthi walinqoba iJerusalema. Empeleni, akasho lutho ngokunqotshwa kwebutho lakhe ngenxa yokungenela kwaphezulu. NgokweBhayibheli, ingelosi kaNkulunkulu yabulala amasosha ase-Asiriya angu-185 000 ngobusuku obubodwa. (2 AmaKhosi 19:35, 36) Isazi uJack Finegan sithi: “Nokho, uma sicabangela ukuqhosha okugcwele emibhalweni yamakhosi ase-Asiriya, akunakulindeleka nakancane ukuba uSaneheribi alobe ngalokho kunqotshwa.”

Eminyakeni eyikhulu ngaphambi kokuwa  koMbuso Wase-Asiriya, u-Isaya wabikezela ukuthi uJehova uNkulunkulu wayeyokwenza labo banqobi abaqhoshayo balandise ngokweyisa kwabo abantu bakhe. UJehova wathi: ‘Ngiyokwenza ukuba kulandiswe ngenxa yezithelo zokweyisa kwenhliziyo yenkosi yase-Asiriya nangenxa yokuzibona ibalulekile ngamehlo ayo aqhoshayo.’ (Isaya 10:12) Ngaphezu kwalokho, umprofethi kaNkulunkulu uNahume wamemezela ukuthi iNineve lalizophangwa, amasango alo ayeyovulelwa izitha, nabalindi balo babeyobaleka. (Nahume 2:8, 9; 3:7, 13, 17, 19) Umprofethi waseBhayibhelini uZefaniya wabhala ukuthi lo muzi wawuyoba “ugwadule oluyincithakalo.”—Zefaniya 2:13-15.

Lezo ziprofetho zembubhiso zagcwaliseka ngo-632 B.C.E. Yingaleso sikhathi lapho iNineve lanqotshwa khona amabutho ahlangene aseBhabhiloni nawamaMede, enza ukuba uMbuso Wase-Asiriya uphele ngendlela ehlazisayo. Umlando weBhabhiloni ophathelene naleso senzakalo uthi abanqobi “bahamba nempango eningi abayithatha emzini nasethempelini” futhi benza iNineve laba “yinqwaba yencithakalo.” Namuhla la manxiwa ake aba iNineve, aphawuleka ngendunduma yezincithakalo ngasogwini olusempumalanga yoMfula iTigrisi, maqondana nedolobha laseMosul, e-Iraq.

Ukubhujiswa kweJerusalema kwaba nanomthelela ekugcwalisekeni kwesinye isiprofetho seBhayibheli. Ngaphambili, ngo-740 B.C.E., i-Asiriya ladingisa umbuso wezizwe eziyishumi. Cishe ngesikhathi i-Asiriya lenza lokhu, umprofethi kaNkulunkulu u-Isaya wabikezela ukuthi uJehova ‘uyophula umAsiriya,’ ‘amnyathele,’ futhi abuyisele u-Israyeli ezweni lakhe. U-Isaya wabhala: ‘Insali yabantu bakhe eyosala e-Asiriya . . . , [uNkulunkulu] uyoyiqoqela ndawonye.’ Yilokho kanye okwenzeka, eminyakeni engaba ngu-200 kamuva!—Isaya 11:11, 12; 14:25.

Esikhathini eside ngaphambi kokuwa kweNineve, lapho amakhosi alo esasatshwa kakhulu yizitha zalo, u-Isaya wabikezela ukufika kombusi ohluke kakhulu. Wabhala: “Sizalelwe umntwana, siphiwe indodana; ukubusa kwesikhulu kuyoba phezu kwehlombe lakhe. Igama lakhe kuyothiwa . . . iSikhulu Sokuthula. Ngeke kuphele ukuchichima kokubusa kwesikhulu kanye nokuthula, phezu kwesihlalo sobukhosi sikaDavide naphezu kombuso wakhe ukuze umiswe uqine futhi usekelwe ngobulungisa nangokulunga, kusukela manje kuze kube nini nanini. Yona kanye intshiseko kaJehova wamabutho iyokwenza lokhu.”—Isaya 9:6, 7.

Ukubusa ‘kweSikhulu Sokuthula,’ uJesu Kristu, kuyogcwala kuwo wonke umhlaba. IHubo 72:7, 8 lithi: “Ezinsukwini zayo olungile uyohluma, kanye nokuchichima kokuthula ize ingabe isaba khona inyanga. Iyoba nezikhonzi kusukela olwandle kuze kube solwandle kusukela eMfuleni [i-Ewufrathe] kuze kube semikhawulweni yomhlaba.”

Ngalesi “Sikhulu Sokuthula” esinamandla, uJehova uNkulunkulu uyogcwalisa isithembiso esikumaHubo 46:8, 9: “Wozani, bukani imisebenzi kaJehova, ukuthi uzimisé kanjani izenzakalo ezimangalisayo emhlabeni. Uqeda izimpi kuze kube semkhawulweni womhlaba. Umnsalo uyawuphula anqamule umkhonto ube yizicucu; izinqola uzishisa ngomlilo.”

Njengesandulela sokugcwaliseka kwalesi siprofetho seBhayibheli, oFakazi BakaJehova banesimiso seBhayibheli sokufundisa abantu ngezindlela zokuthula njengoba uJesu enza. Ngempela akuyena umuntu, kodwa uNkulunkulu oyogcwalisa isiprofetho seBhayibheli esilotshwe ku-Isaya 2:4: “Ziyokhanda izinkemba zazo zibe ngamageja nemikhonto yazo ibe ngocelemba. Isizwe ngeke sisaphakamisela isizwe inkemba, futhi ngeke zisayifunda impi.” Ngokuphambene, namuhla izwe nababusi balo bachitha izindodla zezimali unyaka ngamunye ezintweni eziphathelene nempi!

Umlando onembile nesiprofetho kwenza iBhayibheli libe elingenakuqhathaniswa, okubonisa labo abalifuna ngobuqotho iqiniso ukuthi ngempela liyincwadi esingayethemba. Esihlokweni esilandelayo salolu chungechunge, sizocabangela iBhabhiloni lasendulo, inhloko-dolobha yombuso wesithathu emlandweni weBhayibheli.