XA UMFUNDISI waseNgilane uWilliam Bedell waya eIreland ngo-1627, wabona umnqa. Nangona i-Ireland yayililizwe lamaKatolika, yayilawulwa ngamaProtestanti aseBritani. AmaProtestanti ayesele eyiguqulele iBhayibhile kwiilwimi ezithethwa eYurophu. Kodwa kwakubonakala kungekho mntu unomdla wokuguqulela iBhayibhile kwisi-Irish.

UBedell wayesithi abantu baseIreland “abamele bashiywe kwesinomhlwa kuba nje bengasazi isiNgesi.” Wazimisela ukuguqulela iBhayibhile kwisi-Irish. Kodwa ke wachaswa kanobom, ngokukodwa ngamaProtestanti. Ayesithi nants’ intoni?

UBedell waqala ngokufunda isi-Irish. Xa waba yinqununu yeKholeji iTrinity eDublin nasemva kokuba engubhishopu waseKilmore, wakhuthaza abafundi ukuba basebenzise isi-Irish. Phofu ke, xa uKumkanikazi uElizabeth I wavula le kholeji, wayesenzela ukuba kufundiswe abefundisi ababeza kufundisa abalawulwa bakhe iBhayibhile ngolwimi lweenkobe. UBedell wazama ukufeza olo thumo.

Kwisithili saseKilmore, uninzi lwabantu lwaluthetha isi-Irish. Ngoko uBedell wayeme kwelithi kumele kubekho abefundisi abathetha isi-Irish. Wakuxhasa oku esebenzisa amazwi ompostile uPawulos akweyoku-1 kwabaseKorinte 14:19, athi: “Ebandleni bendiya kukhetha ukuthetha amazwi amahlanu ngengqondo yam, ukuze ndibe nako nokuyalela abanye ngomlomo, kunamazwi angamawaka alishumi ngeelwimi,” okuthetha ukuthi, ngolwimi olungaqondakaliyo.

Kodwa abasemagunyeni bazama kangangoko banako ukumthintela. Ngokutsho kwababhali-mbali, abanye babesithi ukusetyenziswa kwesi-Irish “kwakumbeka emngciphekweni uRhulumente,” ngoxa abanye besithi “wayesenza okunxamnye noRhulumente.” Abanye babesithi xa abantu baseIreland bengayazi iBhayibhile, izinto zaziza kuyihambela kakuhle iNgilani. Kangangokuba, kwamiselwa imithetho eyayisithi abantu baseIreland bamele balahle ulwimi nezithethe zabo baze bafunde isiNgesi kunye nenkcubeko yaso.

UBedell akazange avume ukuba nguthobela sikutyele wabo zwilakhe! Ekuqaleni koo-1630 waqalisa ukuguqulela iBhayibhile kwisi-Irish esusela kweyesiNgesi, ibe loo Bhayibhile isandul’ ukupapashwa (iKing James Version ka-1611). Wayefuna ukuguqulela iBhayibhile eyayiza kubalula kubantu abaninzi kangangoko kunokwenzeka. Wayekholelwa ukuba xa iBhayibhile intsonkothile, abantu abangathathi ntweni abanakukwazi ukuyifunda, baze bafumane ubomi obungunaphakade.—Yohane 17:3.

UBedell wayengeyondoda yokuqala ukucinga ngale ndlela. Kwiminyaka eyi-30 ngaphambi koku,  ubhishopu uWilliam Daniel wabona indlela ekwakunzima ngayo ukufunda iBhayibhile “ngolwimi lwasemzini.” Kungeso sizathu uDaniel waguqulela IZibhalo ZamaKristu ZesiGrike kwisi-Irish. Emva koko uBedell waqalisa umsebenzi wokuguqulela IZibhalo ZesiHebhere. IBhayibhile ebizwa ngokuba yekaBedell iquka inxalenye yomsebenzi wakhe nokaWilliam Daniel. Ekugqibeleni, iBhayibhile kaBedell yaba yeyokuqala epheleleyo ngesi-Irish ibe yaba yiyo kuphela efumaneka ngesi-Irish kangangeminyaka eyi-300.

UBedell owayengumphengululi ovunyiweyo wezibhalo zesiHebhere wancediswa ngamadoda amabini aseIreland ekuguquleleni iBhayibhile kwisi-Irish. Emva kokugqiba ukuguqulela, uBedell wancediswa ngumntu omnye okanye ababini ukuhlola vesi nganye ngocoselelo. Ezinye zeencwadi abazisebenzisayo, yaba yinguqulelo yesiTaliyane eyaguqulelwa ngumfundisi waseSwitzerland, uGiovanni Diodati, iSeptuagint yesiGrike kunye nombhalo-ngqangi weBhayibhile yesiHebhere oxabisekileyo.

La madoda axelisa abaguquleli beKing James Version (uninzi lwabo olwalusaziwa nguBedell) aza alifaka igama likaThixo kwiivesi eziliqela kwiBhayibhile yawo. Ngokomzekelo, bathi xa bebhala igama likaThixo kwiEksodus 6:3, “Iehovah.” Umbhalo-ngqangi kaBedell ugcinwe kwiLayibrari kaMarsh eDublin, eIreland.—Funda ibhokisi ethi “Ukukhunjulwa Nokuwongwa KukaBedell.”

UBedell wagqiba ukuyiguqulela le Bhayibhile ngo-1640. Kodwa akazange akwazi ukuyipapasha ngelo xesha. Kwakutheni? Kaloku wayesachaswe kanobom. Aba bachasi bamgxeka umguquleli ophambili kaBedell, kuba befuna uchithwe umsebenzi  wakhe. Bada bamvalela entolongweni ngamaqhinga. Oku yayikukunyela nje iintambo, kuba uBedell wazibona sele ethe zwabha kwimvukelo eyayinxamnye namaNgesi, eyaqala ngo-1641 neyayimanyumnyezi izaliswe luphalazo-gazi. Nangona wayeliNgesi, abemi baseIreland bamkhusela uBedell kangangexeshana kuba bebona ukuba uyabathanda akazenzi. Emva kwexesha nje elingephi, amajoni angabavukeli ambamba aza amvalela kwiimeko ezimaxongo. Kumele ukuba yiloo nto wakhawuleza wamnabel’ uqaqaqa ngo-1642. Wafa ingekapapashwa iBhayibhile yakhe.

Umsebenzi kaBedell waphantse wemka namanzi xa ikhaya lakhe lagqogqwayo laza latshatyalaliswa. Ngethamsanqa umhlobo wakhe wawahlangula loo maphepha ayenomsebenzi wakhe. Emva kwexesha, afunyanwa nguNarcissus Marsh owaba ngubhishopu omkhulu waseArmagh noweCawa YaseIreland. Waxhaswa ngemali ngusosayensi uRobert Boyle waza ngesibindi wayipapasha iBhayibhile kaBedell ngo-1685.

IBhayibhile kaBedell ayizange yaziwe emhlabeni wonke. Nangona kunjalo, yafaka isandla ekuqondweni kweBhayibhile, ingakumbi kubantu baseIreland. Babeza kutsho bafunde ngoThixo kwiLizwi lakhe elibhalwe ngolwimi lwabo.—Mateyu 5:3, 6.

IBhayibhile kaBedell isanceda abathandi benyaniso nangoku. Omnye umfo waseIreland osandul’ ukuqalisa ukufunda iBhayibhile uthi: “Xa safunda iBhayibhile kaBedell, seva oko ikuthethayo ngolwimi lwethu. Oku kwasinceda kakhulu njengosapho kuba satsho safunda iimfundiso eziyinyaniso ezikwiZibhalo.”