Udade ibizo lakhe linguBlessing * nakafika enarheni ye-Europe, bekathenjiswe ukusebenza lapho kulungiswa khona iinhluthu. Kwathi nakudlula amalanga alitjhumi asolo atlhoriswa ngokubetjhwa, ngapha anande athuselwa ngomndenakhe awutjhiye emumva, wakateleleka ukuthi athengise ngedini.

UBlessing bekulindeleke bona arhole imali engange-200 ukuya ku-300 euros ubusuku ngabunye, ukuthi akghone ukubhadela umnikazakhe ngombana bebavumelene ngokuthi abhadale ama-euro azi-40 000. * Nakalandisako uBlessing uthi: “Benginande ngicabanga ngokubaleka, kodwana ngisabe into abangayenza emndeninami. Bengithiyekile.” Indabakhe le ayikahluki keyabantu abaziingqila ababalelwe eengidini ezine ezifunyanwa ephasini loke erhwebeni lokuthengisa ngedini.

Pheze eminyakeni engaba zi-4 000 eyadlulako, isokana elinguJosefa lathengiswa bafowabo. Lazifumana lisigqila esigodlweni seGibhide. Into eyenza uBlessing ahluke kuJosefa, kukuthi uJosefa akhenge ahlukunyezwe mphathakhe. Umonakalo wathoma lokha nakazakwala ukulala nomkaPothifara, ngebangelo-ke wamangalelwa ngecala lokulinga ukugagadlhela. Waphoselwa ejele wakanatjelwa ngeenketani.—Genesisi 39:1-20; iRhubo 105:17, 18.

UJosefa bekasigqila sekadeni; kuthi uBlessing abe sigqila sanamhlanjesi. Kodwana bobabili njalo bebabongazimbi bomukghwa wakade wokukhukhuthiswa kwabantu bathengiselwe kezinye iinarha. Leli lirhwebo elinganandaba nepatho yabantu, okuqakathekileko nje yimali engenako.

Izipi ngizo ezenze indlela elula yokufunyanwa kweengqila eenarheni. IKosi yeGibhide uThutmose III yakwazi ukuzifumanela iingqila eziyi-90 000 ngemva kwejima lepi abayilwa eKanana. AmaGibhide la athatha abantwaba abembisa imigodi, bakha amathempeli, bemba neemforo zamanzi.

 Nangaphasi komBuso weRoma, nalapho ipi yaletha iingqila ngobunengi. Kesinye isikhathi, ipi beyibangelwa kukuthi kufuneka iingqila. Nakusabusa iRoma kulinganiselwa bona pheze isiquntu senani labantu balapho besenziwa ziingqila. AmaGibhide amanengi neengqila zeRoma bezitlhoriswa kabuhlungu khulu. Bekulindeleke ukuthi isigqila nasisebenza emigodini yeRoma kufuze siphile iminyaka ema-30 kwaphela.

Njengombana isikhathi sikhamba, ipatho yeengqila nayo yaba yimbi khulu. Kusukela eminyakeni yabo-1600 ukuya ku-1900, irhwebo ebelikhamba phambili ephasini bekungelokuthengiswa kweengqila ze-Afrika zithengiselwa i-Amerika. ‘I-UNESCO (okuyi Ihlangano yezeFundo iSayensi namaSiko) ibika ukuthi, isibalo esiphakathi kweengidi ezima-25 nama-30 zabantu bengubo nabantwana bezithunjwa bezithengiswe. Inengi labantwaba lahlongakala phakathi nekhambo labo nabayama i-Atlantic. U-Olaudah Equiano osigqila esaphunyurhako uthi: “Umkhosi wabomma ohlaba ehliziyweni okhambisana nokuquma kwabantu nabafako, ngikho okungenza ngibhalelwe kuhlathulula.”

Okudanisako ngendaba le, kukuthi ubugqila akusiso isehlakalo esamane senzeka ekadeni. I-International Labour Organization (Ihlangano yezokuvikeleka namathuba womsebenzi) ithi, amadoda, abafazi nabantwana basasetjenziswa njengeengqila bekube kunamhlanjesi. Babhadelwa imadlana encani nofana bangabhadelwa nokubhadelwa. Namhlanjesi, iingqila zisebenza emayini, eendaweni lapho kuthengiswa khona idini, emafemini wokuforoma iintina nemizini yabantu. Nanyana kungasisemthethweni lokho, kodwana ihlobo elinjalo lobugqila lisaragela phambili nokwanda.

Ukuphathwa ngesandla sesimbi kwenze iingqila ezinengi zalwela ikululeko. Nakusabusa iRoma, ijoni ebelibizwa ngoSpartacus neengqila eziyi-100 000, bathathana phezulu neRoma. Kwathi ngekhulu letjhumi nobunane, iingqila zesihlengeleni seCaribbean eseHispaniola, zavukela abaphathi bazo. Kubuye godu kubalwe neengqila ezatlhoriswa kabuhlungu emasimini womoba, ukutlhoriswa kwazo okwabhebhedlha bekwabangela ipi eyathatha iminyaka eli-13 yoke, kulwa iintjhaba zenarha yinye. Umphumela walokho ngonyaka ka-1804, kukuthi inarha yeHaiti yaba sitjhaba esizijameleko.

IKhambo lama-Israyeli nawaphuma eGibhide, kufuze libe kuphela kokuphunyurha okwaba yiqophamlando. Kungenzeka bekubabantu abaziingidi ezintathu, sikhuluma ngesizwe soke esagandelelwa eGibhide. Emaphethelweni isizweso bekufanele sitjhaphuluke. IBhayibheli lihlathulula amaphilo wabo  nabasahlala eGibhide ngokuthi, “bagqilazwa ngazo zoke iindlela.” (Eksodusi 1:11-14; NW) Omunye waboFaro bangesikhatheso wenza ijima lokuthi kubulawe woke amasana, ukwenzela ukuthi aphungule ukwanda kwama-Israyeli.—Eksodusi 1:8-22.

Ukutjhatjhululwa kwama-Israyeli eGibhide bekuhluke khulu, ngombana uZimu ngokwakhe wangenela endabeni le. Wathi kuMosi: “Ngiyalazi isizi labo. Ngalokho ngehlile kobana [ngibatjhaphulule]”. (Eksodusi 3:7, 8) Bekube kunamhlanjesi amaJuda asawugidinga umnyanya wePhasika qobe mnyaka akhumbula isehlakalweso.—Eksodusi 12:14.

IBhayibheli lithi: “[“KuJehova,” NW] uZimethu akukho ukungalungi.” Amezwi la asiqinisekisa ngokuthi uJehova akakatjhentjhi. (2 IinKronike 19:7; Malaki 3:6) Wathumela uJesu bonyana, “amemezele ukuthukululwa kwabathunjiweko. . . , ukuthukululwa kwabagandelelekileko.” (Lukasi 4:18) Kghani lokhu bekutjho ukutjhaphuluka kwazo zoke iingqila? Akusinjalo. UJesu wathunyelwa ukuzokutjhaphulula abantu ebugqileni besono nokufa. Ngikho kamva wathi: “Iqiniso lizanitjhaphulula.” (Jwanisi 8:32) Bekube namhlanjesi, iqiniso elafundiswa nguJesu litjhaphulula abantu ngeendlela ezinengi. Qala ibhoksi elithi, “ Phunyurha Nakobunye Ubugqila Obuhlukileko.”

Nendabeni kaJosefa noBlessing, nguZimu owabatjhaphulula asebenzisa iindlela ezihlukahlukeneko. Ungafumana izinto ezirarako ngomlando kaJosefa nawufunda iBhayibheli kuGenesisi isahluko 39 ukuya ku-41. Isibawo sakaBlessing setjhaphuluko bekungasiyinto yokudlala.

Ngemva kokuqotjhwa enarheni ye-Europe, waya eSpain. Kulapho ahlangana naboFakazi khona, wathoma nokufunda nabo iBhayibheli. Wazimisela ukunzinzisa ipilwakhe, wathola itorho wakhulumisana nomma ebekahlala kwakhe ekuthomeni bonyana amphungulele imali ayibhadela qobe nyanga. Ngelinye ilanga wafumana umrhala ovela kuye umma lo. Wathi ubawa ukuqeda isikolodweso begodu ubawa nokuthi uBlessing amlibalele. Kwenzekani ngemva kwalokho? Umma lo naye wathoma ukufunda iBhayibheli naboFakazi. UBlessing uthi: “Iqiniso likutjhaphulula ngeendlela ezinengi.”

UJehova uZimu waphatheka kumbi nakabona ama-Israyeli aphathwa kabuhlungu eGibhide. Usazizwa ngendlela efanako nanamhlanjesi nakabona ukutlhoriswa kwabantu. Siyavuma bonyana, nakuzakuqedwa ubugqilakazobu ephasini, kutlhoga amatjhentjho amakhulu tle! Kodwana uZimu uthembisa ukuletha amatjhentjho anjalo. “Ukuya ngokwesithembiso sakhe, silindele amazulu amatjha nephasi elitjha, lapho kuyokuba khona ukulunga.”—2 Pitrosi 3:13.