40—Iphupha LikaNebhukadenetsare

[Esi sahluko sisekwe kuDaniyeli 2.]

Kwakamsinyane emva kokuba uDaniyeli namaqabane akhe bengenile emsebenzini kakumkani waseBhabheli, kwenzeka iziganeko ezatyhila kwisizwe esinqula izithixo amandla nokuthembeka kukaThixo kaIsrayeli. UNebhukadenetsare wayenephupha elimangalisayo, ekwathi ngalo, “wakhathazeka umoya wakhe, waphelelwa bubuthongo.” Nangona ingqondo kakumkani yayithabatheke kakhulu, ukuvuka kwakhe wafumanisa ukuba, akakwazi konke ukuzikhumbula iinkcukacha.AN 491.1

Ekudidekeni kwakhe, uNebhukadenetsare wahlanganisa amadoda akhe anobulumko—“izazi, nabakhwitsi, nabakhafuli,“—wafuna kuwo uncedo lwawo. “Ndiphuphe iphupha,” watsho, “umoya wam ke ungqungela ukulazi iphupha elo.” Ngale ntetho yokudideka kwakhe, wawacela ukuba amtyhilele oko kuya kuthi kuzise ukuphola engqondweni yakhe.AN 491.2

Kwesi sicelo, izazi zaphendula, “Kumkani, yidla ubomi ngonaphakade! Balawulele abakhonzi bakho iphupha elo; sokuxelela ukutyhilwa kwalo.”AN 491.3

Enganelisekanga yimpendulo ephephaphephayo, ekwakrokra nokukrokra kuba, nangona benamabango akhohlisayo, okuthi bayazityhila iimfihlelo zabantu, sekunjalo, babonakalisa ukungakulungeli ukumnika uncedo, ukumkani wawayalela amadoda akhe azizilumko, ewathembisa ngobutyebi nembeko kwelinye icala, nezoyikiso kwelinye, ukuba amxelele, kungabi kuphela ukutyhilwa kwephupha, kodwa nephupha ngokwalo. “Ilizwi lam malazeke,” watsho; ukuba anithanga nindazise iphupha elo, nokutyhilwa kwalo, niya kwenziwa iziqwenga, izindlu zenu zenziwe indawo ekuyiwa kuyo endle. Ukuba nithe nalixela iphupha elo nokutyhilwa kwalo, nozuza kum izipho, nemivuzo, nembeko enkulu.”AN 492.1

Zaphinda izazi zabuya nempendulo: “Ukumkani makabalawulele abakhonzi bakhe iphupha elo; sokuxelela ukutyhilwa kwalo.”AN 492.2

UNebhukadenetsare, evuswe umnyele, waqunjiswa bubunginingini babo wayethembele kubo, wathi: “Ndiyazi ngokunyanisekileyo, ukuba ninga ningazuza ixesha, ngenxa enokuba nibona ukuba seliwisiwe ilizwi lam. Ukuba ke anithanga nindazise iphupha, mnye umthetho kuni; ngokuba nibhunge ngokuthetha amazwi angamanga, onakalisayo, phambi kwam, lide ixesha libe lilimbi. Ngako oko ndityeleni iphupha elo, ndazi ke ukuba nondixelela ukutyhilwa kwalo.”AN 492.3

Bezaliswe luloyiko lweziphumo zokusilela kwabo, abakhwitsi nabanye, bazama ukumbonisa ukumkani ukuba isicelo sakhe sasingekho zingqondweni, nokuba uvavanyo lwakhe ludlule lee koko kwakha kwafunwa emntwini. “Akukho mntu phezu kwehlabathi,” batsho ngenkcaso, “unokuyixela le nto kukumkani; ngenxa yokuba akukho kumkani mkhulu, unegunya, wakha wabuza into enjalo kuzo zonke izazi, nabakhwitsi, namaKaledi. Ke loo nto ayifunayo ukumkani inqabile; akukho namnye unokuyixela phambi kokumkani, ingengabo oothixo abakhaya lingekhoyo kwizinto eziyinyama.”AN 492.4

Ngoko ke, “waqumba ukumkani, waba noburhalarhume obukhulu, wathi mazitshatyalaliswe zonke izilumko zaseBhabheli.”AN 493.1

Phakathi kwabo babefunwa ngamagosa alungiselela ukuzalisekisa okubekwe emthethweni wokumkani, kwakukho uDaniyeli nabahlobo bakhe. Bathi bakuxelelwa ukuba ngokomthetho nabo bamelwe kukufa, “ngecebo nangengqondo” uDaniyeli wabuza kuAriyoki, umphathi webutho likakumkani, “Yini na ukuba kuphume umthetho onje ukuba bukhali kukumkani?” UAriyoki wambalisela ibali lokudideka kukakumkani ngenxa yephupha lakhe elimangalisayo, nokungakwazi kwakhe ukufumana uncedo kwabo wayebeke kubo ithemba lakhe ngokupheleleyo ukuza kuthi ga ngoku. Wathi akukuva oku uDaniyeli, ebeka ubomi bakhe esichengeni, wazidela waya phambi kukakumkani wamcenga ukuba amnike ixesha, ukuze akwazi ukubongoza uThixo wakhe ukuba amtyhilele iphupha nento eliyithethayo.AN 493.2

Ukumkani wasivuma esi sicelo. “Waza uDaniyeli waya endlwini yakhe, wayazisa ooHananiya, noMishayeli, noAzariya, amakholwane akhe.” Baya bacela ubulumko kwiThende lokukhanya nolwazi. Ukholo lwabo lwaluzinzile ekwazini ukuba nguThixo owayebabeke apho babekhona, nokuba babesenza umsebenzi waKhe behlangabezana nokufunwa luxanduva [lwabo]. Ngamaxesha engxaki nengozi, babesoloko bebhenela kuThixo ukuba bazuze inkokhelo nenkuselo, waza waluncedo ngawo wonke amaxesha. Ngoku, ngentliziyo etyumkileyo, bazinikela ngokutsha kuMgwebi womhlaba, bembongoza ukuba abahlangule ngeli xesha bakwintswelo enkulu. Abazange babongoze ngelize. UThixo ababemzukisa, ngoku wazukisa bona. UMoya kaYehova wahlala phezu kwabo, kwaza kuDaniyeli, “embonweni wasebusuku,” watyhilelwa iphupha likakumkani nentsingiselo yalo.AN 493.3

Into yokuqala awayenzayo uDaniyeli yaba kukubulela uThixo ngentyilelo amnike yona. “Malibongwe igama likaThixo, kususela kunaphakade kude kuse ephakadeni,” wadanduluka; “ngokuba ubulumko nobugorha bona bobakhe. Yena uyawaguqula ke amaxesha neminyaka; uguzula ookumkani, amise ookumkani; unika ubulumko kwizilumko, unika ukwazi kwabakwaziyo ukuqonda. Yena utyhila izinto ezinzulu nezisitheleyo; uyakwazi okusebumnyameni, kukhanya kuhleli kuye. Ndiya kubulela, Thixo woobawo, ndikuncoma, kuba undinike ubulumko nobugorha, wandazisa kalokunje oko sibe sikucela kuwe; ngokuba usazisile ngokunje le nto yokumkani.”AN 494.1

Eye kwangoko kuAriyoki, owayeyalelwe ngukumkani ukuba atshabalalise amadoda azizilumko, uDaniyeli wathi, “Musa ukuzitshabalalisa izilumko zaseBhabheli; ndise kukumkani; ndomxelela ukumkani ukutyhilwa kwephupha elo.” Ngokukhawuleza umphathi wamngenisa uDaniyeli phambi kokumkani, enamazwi athi, Ndifumene indoda koonyana baseluthinjweni lakwaYuda, eya kumazisa ukumkani ukutyhilwa kwephupha elo.”AN 494.2

Mbone umthinjwa womYuda, ezolile ezibumbile, phambi kokumkani wobona bukumkani bunamandla emhlabeni. Kumazwi akhe okuqala, walususa uzuko kuye, waphakamisa uThixo njengethende labo bonke ubulumko. Kumbuzo oxhalabileyo kakumkani,othi,“Unako na ukundazisaiphuphaendilibonileyo, nokutyhilwa kwalo?” Waphendula: “Imfihlakalo ayibuzayo ukumkani, azinako ukumxelela ukumkani izilumko, nabakhwitsi, nezazi, namatola. Kodwa ke kukho uThixoemazulwini,ozityhilayo iimfihlakalo,onokumazisaukumkani uNebhukadenetsareokuya kubakho ekupheleni kwemihla.AN 496.1

“Iphupha lakho,” wathetha wathi uDaniyeli, “nemibono yentloko yakho esililini sakho, nantsi: Wena kumkani, izicamango zakho zathi tyaba kuwe esililini sakho, zokuya kubakho emveni koku; lowo ke uzityhilayo iimfihlakalo uyakwazisa okuya kubakho. Mna le mfihlakalo, ukuyityhilelwa kwam, akungenxa yabulumko ndingaba ndinabo ngaphezu kwabo bonke abaphilileyo; kungenxa yokuze aziswe ukumkani ukutyhilwa kwalo, uzazi izicamango zentliziyo yakho.AN 496.2

“Wena kumkani, wabe ubona, nango umfanekiso omkhulu. Loo mfanekiso ubumkhulu, nokubengezela kwawo kwancamisa, umi phambi kwakho; imbonakalo yawo ibisoyikeka. Loo mfanekiso, intloko yawo ibiyigolide elungileyo, isifuba sawo neengalo zawo ziyisilivere, isisu sawo namanqe awo elubhedu, imilenze yawo isisinyithi; iinyawo zawo, ngenxalenye zisisinyithi, ngenxalenye ziludongwe.AN 496.3

“Wawubona, kwada kwazithwebula ilitye, kungengazandla; labetha emfanekisweni, ezinyaweni zawo zesinyithi nodongwe, lazicola. Zaza ke zacoleka kwakanye isinyithi, nodongwe, nobhedu, nesilivere, negolide, zaba njengomququ wezanda zasehlotyeni; wemka nazo umoya, azafunyanelwa ndawo. Ilitye elo, libethileyo emfanekisweni, laba yintaba enkulu, lazalisa ihlabathi lonke.AN 496.4

“Lilo elo iphupha,“watsho ngesibindiuDaniyeli; ukumkani, [498]emamele ngomdla omkhulu kakhulu zonke iinkcukacha, wazi ukuba yayililo kanye iphupha awaya wakhathazeka kakhulu ngenxa yalo. Ngoko ke ingqondo yakhe lakulungela ukulamkela ngomoya omhle ukuchazwa kwalo. UKumkani wookumkani wayeza kugqithisa inyaniso enkulu kukumkani waseBhabheli. UThixo wayeza kubonisa ukuba unegunya phezu kwezikumkani zomhlaba, igunya lokumisa nokususa esikhundleni ookumkani. Ingqondo kaNebhukadenetsare kwakufuneka ivusiwe, xa kunokwenzeka, ukuba ikuqonde oko kwakufuneka ekwenzile ngokwaseZulwini. Iziganeko zexesha elizayo, ezaziza kufikelela ekupheleni kwexesha, zaziza kwanekwa phambi kwakhe.AN 497.1

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