Mnyaka ka-59 C.E. Hlangana neenthunjwa zamasotja adinwe likhambo, isiqhema seembotjhwa singena eRoma ngeyege ebizwa ngokobana iPorta Capena. EmBundwini wePalatine kunesigodlo somBusi uNero, esigadwe liButho lamasotja wesigodlweni afihle iinsabula zawo ngaphasi kwe-toga [ivunulo yawo yesiRoma]. * Umphathi wamasotja alikhulu uJulius udosaphambili iimbotjhwa bangena ekundleni yamaRoma bakhuphuke njalo nomBundu weViminal. Badlula esimini enama-aldara wabosingazimu bamaRoma begodu badlula ekundleni lapho lapho amasotja azibandula khona.

Umpostoli uPowula bekahlangana neembotjhwezo. Eenyangeni ezidlulileko nekasesikepeni ebesibindwa ziinwuruwuru, ingilozi kaZimu yathi kuPowula: ‘Kufanele ujame phambi koMbusi [uKhesari].’ (IzE. 27:24) Inga-kghani ngilokho uPowula ebekazokuqalana nakho? Nekaqalisisa ehloko dorobha yomBusi weRoma, akunakuzaza bona bekacabanga ngamezwi iKosi uJesu amtjela wona esiQongolweni se-Antonia eJerusalema. UJesu wathi, “Yiba nesibindi! Unikele ngami ubufakazi eJerusalema, yeke yewenze njalo neRoma.”—IzE. 23:10, 11.

Mhlamunye uPowula wajama kancani bona aqale i-Castra Praetoria—umakhiwo omkhulu wesiphephelo onamaboda akhiwe ngesitina esibovu, oneenthala ngaphezulu. Emakhiweni loyo kuhlala amapholisa wendawo kunye namalunga weButho labonoGada besiGodlo abagada umbusi.  Njengombana kunama-cohort * ali-12 wabonoGada besiGodlweni namasotja wedorobho aziinkulungwana ezinengi ajanyiswe lapho, ngalokho-ke bekungaba neenkulungwana ezinengi zamasotja kuhlanganise nebutho elikhamba ngeempera. I-Castra Praetoria beyikhumbuza abantu ngomthombo wegunya lombusi. Njengombana bekumsebenzi weButho labonoGada besiGodlo ukutlhogomela iimbotjhwa ezivela eemfundeni, uJuliyu udosaphambili isiqhema sakhe bangene nge-Porta Capena, okungenye yeenyege ezine ezikulu. Ngemva kwekhambo eliyingozi elithethe iinyanga ezinengi, emaswapheleni uletha iimbotjhwa zakhe endaweni efaneleko.—IzE. 27:1-3, 43, 44.

Hlangana nekhambo, uPowula wafumana imibono evela kuZimu ememezela bona soke isiqhema besizokuphuluka ekuphihlizekeni komkhumbi. Ukulunywa yinyoka enetjhefu akhenge kumlimaze. Wapholisa abagulako esihlengeleni seMalta, lapho abantu bakhona bathi bekangusingazimu. Iindaba zezehlakalwezo bezingundaba mlonyeni eButhweni labonoGada besoGodlo elikholelwa elizeni.

UPowula besele ababonile abanakwabo beRoma ‘beza kuye ngeMargeni ye-Apiyosi abanye ngemaWotela amaThathu bazomhlangabeza.’ (IzE. 28:15) Kodwana njengesibotjhwa, bekangasizalisa njani isifiso sokurhuwelela iindaba ezimnandi eRoma? (Rom. 1:14, 15) Abanye bacabanga bona kungenzeka iimbotjhwa zathathwa zasiwa kumphathi wabonogada. Nengabe kunjalo, uPowula kungenzeka wasiwa kumphathi wamaButho wabonoGada besiGodlweni u-Afranius Burrus, mhlamunye ogade angewesibili ophakemeko ngemva kombusi. * Kinanyana ngibuphi ubujamo, kunokobana agadwe baphathi bamasotja alikhulu, uPowula ugadwa lisotja linye elisesigabeni esivamileko eButhweni labonoGada besiGodlweni. UPowula bekavunyelwe bona azifumanele indawo yokuhlala begodu bekavunyelwe ukumukela iimvakatjhi bekatjhumayele kizo “ngaphandle kwesithiyo.”—IzE. 28:16, 30, 31.

Hlangana nekambiswakhe yokuhlulela, kungenzeka bona uBurrus bekamphenya umpostoli uPowula, mhlamunye lokhu bekwenzeka esigodlweni namtjhana ekampeni yabonoGada besiGodlo ngaphambi kokobana umlandu usiwe kuNero. UPowula khenge aphundwe lithuba elikhethekilekweli ‘lokufakaza kibo boke abancani nabakhulu.’ (IzE. 26:19-23) Kungakhathaliseki bona uBurrus waphetha ngaliphi, uPowula khenge  ayiswe ejele kodwana waba sekampeni yabonoGada besiGodlo. *

Indawo yokuhlala uPowula egade ayiqatjhile, ikulu ngokwaneleko bona angakwazi ukwamukela “iinkhulu zamaJuda” begodu afakaze kizo kuhlanganise ‘nenani elikhulu lazo eleza lapha gade ahlala khona.’ Bekunamasotja weButho labonoGada besiGodlo elamuzwa “anikela ubufakazi obupheleleko, [NW]” kumaJuda malungana nomBuso noJesu, “kusukela ekuseni kufikela ebusuku.”—IzE. 28:17, 23.

AmaButho wesiGodlweni bekadlhegana qobe ngemva kwama-awara abunane. Unogada kaPowula naye bekatjhentjhwa qobe. Hlangana neminyaka eembili yokubotjhwa kompostoli lo, amasotja amuzwa akhuluma lokho okuzotlolwa encwadini eya kwebe-Efesu, kwebeFilipi, kwebeKolose nakumaKrestu amaHebheru begodu ambona atlolela umKrestu onguFilimoni incwadi. Nakasabotjhiweko, uPowula watjheja ngokukhethekileko isigqila esabalekako, u-Onesimusi, ‘ngombana nakasesikhungweni waba nguyise ngokomoya,’ wamthumela ekosinakhe. (Filim. 10) Akunazaza bona uPowula bekabatjhejisisa  abonogada bakhe. (1 Kor. 9:22) Singambona ekhumbulwenethu abuza isotja ngomnqopho weengcenye zezambatho zepi ezihlukahlukeneko begodu azisebenzisa njengomfanekiso omuhle.—Efe. 6:13-17.

Ukubotjhwa kwakaPowula kwaba nomthelela ‘ekurageliseni ivangeli phambili’ hlangana neButho labonoGada besiGodlo nabanye. (Fil. 1:12, 13) Abantu abahlala eCastra Praetoria bebakghona ukuthintana nawo woke umuntu emBusweni wamaRoma, kuhlanganise umbusi nabahlala kwakhe. Abahlala kwakhe bahlanganisa amalunga womndeni, iinceku neengqila, abanye babo baba maKrestu. (Fil. 4:22) Ngebanga lokufakaza kwakaPowula ngesibindi, abazalwana eRoma bafumana isikhuthazo ‘sokutjhumayela ilizwi lakaZimu ngaphandle kokusaba.’—Fil. 1:14.

Ukufakaza kwakaPowula eRoma mthombo wesikhuthazo nakithi njengombana ‘sitjhumayela ilizwi lakaZimu namtjhana kusikhathi esifaneleko nanyana kungasiso.’ (2 Thi. 4:2) Abanye kithi bavaleleke ngeendlini zabo, emakhaya atlhogomela abalupheleko, eembhedlela, ngitjho nemajele ngebanga lekholo lethu. Kunanyana ngibuphi ubujamo esikibo, singakhuluma nabantu mhlamunye abasitlhogomelako namtjhana abasenzela izinto ezihlukahlukeneko. Nesifakaza ngesibindi kibo boke ubujamo, singazibonela mathupha bona “ilizwi lakaZimu alikabotjhwa.”—2 Thi. 2:8, 9.