UBlessing * waya eYurophu enethemba lokufumana umsebenzi wokwenza iinwele. Kodwa kwaqengqeleka iintsuku ezilishumi ebethwa, futhi esoyikiswa ngokuba intsapho yakowabo iza kuphathwa kabuhlungu, ngenxa yoko wanyanzeleka ukuba enze umsebenzi wokuthengisa umzimba.

Kulo msebenzi, uBlessing kwakulindeleke ukuba afumane iR3 000 ukuya kwi-R4 000 ngobusuku. Ngaloo mali wayeza kubhatala ityala elingaphezu kwe-R610 000 awayelenze kumqeshi wakhe. UBlessing uthi: “Ndandisoloko ndicinga ngokubaleka, kodwa ndinexhala lento eyayiza kwenziwa kwintsapho yasekhaya. Ndandibophelelekile.” Ibali lakhe lifana ncam nelabantu abamalunga nezigidi ezine abangamakhoboka kwishishini lokuthengisa imizimba.

Phantse kwiminyaka eyi-4 000 eyadlulayo, uYosefu oselula wathengiswa ngabantakwabo. Waba likhoboka kwikhaya lendoda edumileyo eYiputa. Ngokungafaniyo noBlessing, ekuqaleni uYosefu akazange aphathwe kakubi yinkosi yakhe. Kodwa emva kokuba engafunanga ukwenza into eyayifunwa ngumfazi wenkosi yakhe, loo mfazi wamtyhola esithi ebefuna ukumdlwengula. Waphoswa ngapha kwezitshixo.—Genesis 39:1-20; INdumiso 105:17, 18.

UYosefu wayelikhoboka lakudala; yena uBlessing ube likhoboka kule minyaka yoo-2000. Kodwa bobabini bangamaxhoba eshishini lakudala elithengisa abantu elingabakhathalelanga kodwa lijonge imali.

Iimfazwe ziye zaba yeyona ndlela ilula yokuba iintlanga zifumane amakhoboka. Umkhosi kaKumkani uThutmose III waseYiputa wabuya namabanjwa ayi-90 000 kwimfazwe eyayiseKanan. AmaYiputa awasebenzisa emigodini, esakha iitempile, esomba nemijelo.

 Naphantsi koBukhosi BaseRoma, iimfazwe zazibangela ukuba kufunyanwe amakhoboka amaninzi, ngamanye amaxesha kwakude kuliwe ngenxa yokuba kufunwa amakhoboka. Kuqikelelwa ukuba ngenkulungwane yokuqala amakhoboka ayephantse alingane nabemi baseRoma. Amakhoboka amaninzi aseYiputa naseRoma ayephethwe kabuhlungu. Ngokomzekelo, amakhoboka awayesebenza kwimigodi yaseRoma kwakulindelwe ukuba aphile nje iminyaka emalunga neyi-30.

Njengoko ixesha lihamba, amakhoboka ayesiya ephathwa ngenkohlakalo. Ukususela kwiminyaka yoo-1500 ukuya kweyoo-1800, ishishini lokuthengiswa kwamakhoboka phakathi kweAfrika neMerika lalilelona lingenisa imali eninzi ehlabathini. Ingxelo yeUNESCO ithi: ‘Kuqikelelwa ukuba phakathi kwe-25 ne-30 yezigidi zamadoda, abafazi nabantwana baye baqweqwediswa baza bathengiswa.’ Kuthiwa abaninzi kwabo bantu bafa xa kwakuwelwa iAtlantiki. UOlaudah Equiano, ikhoboka elasindayo uthi: “Soze ndiyilibale intlungu yesikhalo nokugcuma kwabantu ababesifa.”

Okubuhlungu kukuba, ubukhoboka busekho nanamhlanje. Omnye umbutho wezemisebenzi uthi amadoda, abafazi nabantwana abamalunga nezigidi eziyi-21, basasebenza njengamakhoboka nangoku, babhatalwa kancinci okanye bangabhatalwa kwaukubhatalwa. Amakhoboka anamhlanje asebenza emigodini, kwiivenkile ezenza iiswiti, kwiindawo ekuthengiswa kuzo imizimba nakumakhaya abantu. Obu bukhoboka buxhaphakile nangona bungekho mthethweni.

Ukuphathwa ngenkohlakalo kwamakhoboka kuye kwabangela ukuba alwele inkululeko. Ngenkulungwane yokuqala Ngaphambi Kwexesha Eliqhelekileyo, uSpartacus namakhoboka ayi-100 000 bavukela iRoma kodwa abazange baphumelele. Kwiminyaka yoo-1700, amakhoboka esiqithi seCaribbean eHispaniola avukela abaphathi bawo. Ukuphathwa kabuhlungu kwala makhoboka kumasimi eswekile kwabangela imfazwe yamakhaya eyaliwa iminyaka eyi-13. Loo mfazwe yabangela ukuba ngo-1804 ilizwe laseHaiti lizimele.

Kuyo yonke imbali yehlabathi, ukuphuma kwamaSirayeli eYiputa kwaba yeyona ndlela ibalaseleyo yokukhululeka kubukhoboka. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba ngabantu abazizigidi ezintathu, uhlanga lonke, abakhululwayo kubukhoboka baseYiputa. Ngokuqinisekileyo loo nkululeko yayibafanele. IBhayibhile ithi ubomi babo eYiputa babusenziwa krakra,  ‘betsaliswa nzima ebukhobokeni.’ (Eksodus 1:11-14) Omnye uFaro wayalela ukuba kugwintwe iintsana ukuze amaSirayeli angabi maninzi.—Eksodus 1:8-22.

AmaSirayeli akhululwa nguThixo ngokwakhe kubukhoboka baseYiputa. UThixo wathi kuMoses: “Ndiyazi kakuhle intlungu yabo. Ndihlile ke ukuze ndibahlangule.” (Eksodus 3:7, 8) Nanamhlanje, nyaka ngamnye amaYuda asabhiyozela iPasika ekhumbula olo suku.—Eksodus 12:14.

IBhayibhile ithi: “UThixo wethu akanantswela- bulungisa,” kwaye ithi akatshintshanga. (2 Kronike 19:7; Malaki 3:6) UThixo wathuma uYesu ukuba ashumayele inkululo kubathinjwa, akhulule abatyunyuziweyo. (Luka 4:18) Ngaba le nto ithetha ukuba wayeza kukhulula onke amakhoboka? Akunjalo. UYesu wathunywa ukuze akhulule abantu kubukhoboka besono nokufa. Kamva wathi: “Inyaniso iya kunikhulula.” (Yohane 8:32) Nanamhlanje, inyaniso eyafundiswa nguYesu ikhulula abantu ngeendlela ezininzi.—Funda ibhokisi ethi “ Ukuphuma Kolunye Uhlobo Lobukhoboka.”

UThixo wamnceda uYosefu noBlessing bakhululeka ebukhobokeni ngeendlela ezahlukeneyo. Ungafunda ngebali likaYosefu eBhayibhileni, kwiGenesis isahluko 39 ukuya ku-41. NoBlessing wayilwela nzima inkululeko yakhe.

Xa wagxothwayo kwelinye ilizwe laseYurophu, uBlessing waya eSpeyin. Apho wadibana namaNgqina KaYehova waza waqalisa ukufunda nawo iBhayibhile. Ezimisele ukutshintsha ubomi bakhe, uBlessing wafumana umsebenzi waza wacela umntu owayekade emqeshile ukuba anciphise imali awayefuna ambhatale yona ngenyanga. Ngenye imini uBlessing wafowunelwa ngulo mqeshi. Wayefuna ukucima ityala likaBlessing nokucela uxolo. Wayetshintshwe yintoni? Naye wayefundelwa iBhayibhile ngamaNgqina KaYehova! UBlessing uthi: “Inyaniso ikukhulula ngendlela ongazange uyicinge.”

UYehova uThixo waba buhlungu gqitha xa wabona amakhoboka amaSirayeli ephethwe kakubi eYiputa; ufanele ukuba usakhathazeka nanamhlanje xa ebona abantu bephethwe kakubi. Siyavuma, bekuya kufuneka kutshintshwe abantu kuqala ukuze kusitshulwe neengcambu zonke iintlobo zobukhoboka. Kodwa uThixo uthi uza kulwenza olo tshintsho. “Thina ke silindele amazulu amatsha nomhlaba omtsha, ngokwesithembiso sakhe, apho kumi ubulungisa.”—2 Petros 3:13