UBlessing * waya eYurophu ngoba ethenjiswe umsebenzi wokulungisa izinwele. Kodwa ngemva kwezinsuku eziyishumi eshaywa futhi esatshiswa ngokuthi umndeni wakhe uzohlukunyezwa, waphoqwa ukuba adayise ngomzimba.

Kwakulindeleke ukuba uBlessing enze imali engama-euro angu-200 kuya kwangu-300 (R3 000 kuya ku-R4 500) ngobusuku obubodwa ukuze akwazi ukukhokha imali engaphezu kwama-euro angu-40 000 (R610 000) eyayifunwa owesifazane owayemlethe eYurophu. * UBlessing uthi, “Ngangihlale ngicabanga ukweqa kodwa ngangesaba lokho ababezokwenza emndenini wami. Kwakungekho engangingakwenza.” Indaba kaBlessing ithi ayifane neyabanye abangaba yizigidi ezine abaye badayiselwa kwamanye amazwe ukuze babe yizigqila zocansi emabhizinisini okudayisa ngomzimba.

Eminyakeni ecishe ibe ngu-4 000 edlule, umfana okuthiwa uJosefa wadayiswa ngabafowabo. Wagcina eseyisigqila emzini wesikhulu esithile saseGibhithe. Ekuqaleni, umnikazi womuzi akamphathanga kabi uJosefa njengoba kwenzeka kuBlessing. Kodwa lapho enqaba ukulala nenkosikazi yesikhulu ayesisebenzela, wazithola esemangalelwe ngento ayengayenzanga, ukuzama ukudlwengula. Wavalelwa ejele, waboshwa ngezinsimbi.—Genesise 39:1-20; IHubo 105:17, 18.

UJosefa wayeyisigqila sasendulo; uBlessing yena uyisigqila sangesikhathi sethu. Nokho, bobabili baba yizisulu zomkhuba omdala wokuhweba ngabantu, lapho abantu bedayiswa njengempahla ukuze nje kube khona abazuza ingcebo ngabo.

Impi yaba yindlela elula yokuba amazwe azitholele izigqila. Kuthiwa iNkosi yaseGibhithe uThutmose  III yathumba abantu abangu-90 000 lapho ihlasela iKhanani. AbaseGibhithe babefukuzisa lezi zithunjwa ezimayini, ekwakhiweni kwamathempeli nasekumbeni imisele emikhulu.

Ngaphansi koMbuso wamaRoma, impi yayenza kube nezigqila eziningi futhi ngezinye izikhathi kwakuye kube nempi, kubangwa izigqila. Ngekhulu lokuqala, eRoma, isibalo sezigqila sasicishe sibe yingxenye yabantu bakhona. Iningi lezigqila eGibhithe naseRoma lalixhashazwa ngesihluku. Ngokwesibonelo, iminyaka eyayiphilwa yizigqila ezimayini zaseRoma yayingaba ngu-30 nje kuphela.

Njengoba iminyaka yayiqhubeka, ubugqila baba bubi nakakhulu. Kusukela ngekhulu le-16 kuya ekhulwini le-19, ukuhwebelana ngabantu phakathi kwe-Afrika neMelika kwakuyibhizinisi elalichuma kunawo wonke emhlabeni. I-UNESCO ithi, ‘Balinganiselwa ezigidini ezingu-25 kuya kwezingu-30 abantu okuhlanganisa amadoda, abesifazane kanye nezingane abathunjwa badayiswa.’ Kuthiwa kwafa abantu abangamakhulu ezinkulungwane lapho kuwelwa ulwandle i-Atlantic. U-Olaudah Equiano, oyisigqila esasinda wathi, “Ukuklabalasa kwabesifazane, nokuquma kwabafayo, kwenza kwaba yisimo esithusa kakhulu, esasingakholakali.”

Ngokudabukisayo, ubugqila busekhona namanje. Ngokusho kwe-International Labour Organization, abantu abayizigidi ezingu-21 baseyizigqila ezihola imali encane noma ezingaholi nhlobo zabathile. Namuhla, izigqila zisebenza ezimayini, emafektri ezingubo nawezitini, ezindaweni okudayiselwa kuzo umzimba nasemizini yabantu. Nakuba lobu bugqila bungavumelekile, buyanda.

Ukuhlukunyezwa ngonya kwenze izigqila eziningi zalwela inkululeko. Ngekhulu lokuqala ngaphambi kokuzalwa kukaJesu, uSpartacus kanye nezinye izigqila ezingu-100 000 bazama ukuvukela umbuso waseRoma kodwa bangaphumelela. Ngekhulu le-18, ababeyizigqila esiqhingini saseCaribbean, iHispaniola, bavukela abanikazi babo. Lokhu kwakungenxa yokuthi babehlukunyezwa kabi besebenza ezimobeni okwaholela empini yombango eyadonsa iminyaka engu-13 eyagcina yenze iHaiti yaba yizwe elizimele ngo-1804.

Nokho, kumelwe ukuba uFuduko lwama-Israyeli esuka eGibhithe lwaba ukukhululeka ebugqilini okwaba yingqophamlando. Cishe abantu abangaba yizigidi ezintathu—isizwe sonke—bakhululeka ebugqilini baseGibhithe. Babeyidinga ngempela inkululeko.  IBhayibheli lithi eGibhithe ‘babesebenza kuzo zonke izinhlobo zobugqila ngaphansi kobushiqela.’ (Eksodusi 1:11-14) Omunye uFaro wahlela umkhankaso wokuba kubulawe izingane ezisanda kuzalwa ukuze alawule ukwanda kwesizwe sakwa-Israyeli.—Eksodusi 1:8-22.

Ukukhululwa kwama-Israyeli ebugqilini baseGibhithe kuhlukile ngoba uNkulunkulu owangenelela. UNkulunkulu wathi kuMose, “Ngibazi kahle ubuhlungu ababuzwayo. Ngiyehla ukuze ngiyobakhulula.” (Eksodusi 3:7, 8) Nanamuhla, amaJuda kuyo yonke indawo asawenza umkhosi wePhasika njalo ngonyaka, ekhumbula leso senzakalo.—Eksodusi 12:14.

IBhayibheli lithi, “kuJehova uNkulunkulu wethu akukho ukungalungi,” liphinde lisiqinisekise ngokuthi akakashintshi. (2 IziKronike 19:7; Malaki 3:6) UNkulunkulu wathumela uJesu ukuba ‘ashumayele ukukhululwa ezithunjweni . . . , amukise abachotshoziweyo bekhululiwe.’ (Luka 4:18) Ingabe lokhu kwakusho ukukhululwa kwazo zonke izigqila? Akubonakali kunjalo. UJesu wayethunyelwe ukuba akhulule abantu ekugqilazweni yisono kanye nokufa. Kamuva wathi: “Iqiniso liyonikhulula.” (Johane 8:32) Iqiniso uJesu ayelifundisa lisabakhulula abantu ngezindlela ezihlukahlukene.—Bheka ibhokisi elithi “ Ukuphunyuka Kolunye Uhlobo Lobugqila.”

Empeleni, uNkulunkulu wasiza uJosefa ukuba akhululeke ebugqilini ngendlela ehlukile kunekaBlessing. Indaba emangalisayo kaJosefa ungayithola eBhayibhelini, kuGenesise izahluko 39 kuya ku-41. Indlela uBlessing athola ngayo inkululeko nayo iyamangalisa.

UBlessing waya eSpain ngemva kokuxoshwa kwelinye izwe laseYurophu. Wafika khona wahlangana noFakazi BakaJehova, waqala ukufunda nabo iBhayibheli. UBlessing wayezimisele ukulungisa ukuphila kwakhe, wathola umsebenzi wabe esecela owesifazane owayemlethe eYurophu ukuba amnciphisele imali ayeyikweleta. Ngelinye ilanga wathola ucingo oluvela kuye lo wesifazane. Wayefuna ukwesula isikweletu sikaBlessing futhi axolise ngalokho ayekwenzile. Kwakwenzekeni? Naye wayesefunda iBhayibheli noFakazi BakaJehova! UBlessing uthi, “Iyamangaza indlela iqiniso elimkhulula ngayo umuntu.”

Kwamphatha kabi uJehova uNkulunkulu ukuhlukunyezwa kwama-Israyeli eGibhithe; nanamuhla, kumelwe ukuba usazizwa ngendlela efanayo ngokuntuleka kobulungisa. Iqiniso liwukuthi, kuyodingeka ushintsho olukhulu emphakathini ukuze kuphele zonke izinhlobo zobugqila. Kodwa uJehova uthembisa ukuletha lona kanye lolo shintsho. “Kukhona amazulu amasha nomhlaba omusha esikulindele ngokwesithembiso sakhe, futhi kukho kuyohlala ukulunga.”—2 Petru 3:13