BETHEL

‘Chawngkhûm dàn tlâng huat loh’ tiin bul i han ṭan teh ang. Kum 1988-1989 vêla Myanmar aṭanga thuhriltu pakhat lo chhukin a hrin chhuah pakhat chu ‘Bethel’ tih ṭawngkam hi a ni a. ‘Bethel’ tih mai bákah ‘El-Bethel’ te pawh kan ti leh ta zêl a. ‘Bethel’ tih hi Hebrai ṭawnga ziah dàn dik tak chu ‘Beth-El’ tih a ni a; hei hi Ugaritic ṭawnga ‘Bt-il’ aṭanga lo kal a nih a rinawm. Bethel awmzia chu ‘El-a in’ tihna a ni a; El chu ‘pathian’ tihna a nih tho avàngin ‘Pathian in’ tihnaah ngaih a ni bawk. Grik ṭawnga Bible an lehlinin ‘Baithel’ an ti a; Latin ṭawngin ‘Bethel’ an ti thung a. Latin ṭawng aṭang chuan English Bible-ah ziak hrang loin ‘Bethel’ tih a ni a. Mizo Bible-ah pawh kan ti-Bethel ve ta zêl mai a ni. ‘Bethel’ hi hmànlai Israel ram khaw pakhat hming a ni a, a tîra a hming chu Luz a ni (Gen 28.19); ‘Luz’ tih chu ‘saruh’ emaw ‘almond thing’ emaw tihna a ni. ‘Bethel’ bul lawk, chhak lamah hian ‘Beth-aven’ a awm a (Jos 7.2), chumi awmzia chu ‘suahsualna in’ tihna a ni a; mi ṭhenkhat chuan Bethel khaw hming hmasa niin an ring.

Bethel chu Jerusalem hmàr lam mêl 12 (19.20 kms)-a hlaa awm a ni. Bible-ah hian Bethel tih hi hmun 65-ah a lang:- Genesis-ah hmun 12, Josua-ah hmun 10, Rorêltute-ah hmun 5; 1 Samuela-ah hmun 4; 1 Lalte-ah hmun 10; 2 Lalte-ah hmun9; 1 Chronicles-ah hmun 1; 2 Chronicles-ah hmun 1; Ezra-ah hmun 1; Nehemia-ah hmun 2; Jeremia-ah hmun 1; Hosea-ah hmun 2; Amosa-ah hmun 7. Bethel lo lanna hmasa ber chu Abrahama chanchinah a ni a; Kanaan ram a lo luh khán Bethel chhak lamah puan in kaihin bûk a khuar a ni (Gen 12.8). Josua’n ram a sem khán Bethel hi Benjamin hnam chan tùra tih a ni a (Jos 18.13); mahse a hnûah Ephraim-hoin helai ram hi lain an ram chhûngah an khung a (Ror 1.22,23). Hetah hian thuthlung bâwm pawh kha hun eng emaw chen chu dah a ni a (Ror 20. 26-28). Bethel hi Samuela’n rorèlna tùra hmun pathum a thlan zînga pakhat a ni bawk (1 Sam 7.16). Jeroboama I (931-910 BC) khân he khuaah hian rangkachak sebâwngno lem pakhat a dah a (1 Lal 12.28-33); Jerusalem temple khing tùrin Israel-te Pathian biakna hmunah a siam a ni. Zàwlnei Elija leh Elisa khán Bethel-a sakhaw biakna hi eng angin nge an ngaih hriat a ni lo a; khatih lai khán ‘zàwlnei sikul’ (prophetic guild) chu Bethel-ah hian a awm ni àwm tak a ni (2 Lal 2.2,3). Vàna Elija lâk chhoh a nih hnûah Elisa lo kîr leh chu Bethel naupanghoin an lo au duhdah a, “Lu kawlh, lu kawlh, tlân bo rawh” an lo ti a. Elisa chuan LALPA hmingin naupangte chu ânchhia a lawh a, ngâw aṭanga lo chhuak savawm pahnihin naupang 42 chu a seh hlum ta a ni (2 Lal 2.23,24).

Kum 721 BC-a Assuria-in Israel ram a tihchhiat lai khân Bethel hi tihchhiat a ni ve lo hlauh a. Assuria chakna a lo tlák hniam deuh hnûah Juda lal Josia’n (640-609 BC) a ram chhûngah a seng lût a, milem biakna hnûhma chu tihbo tumin a bei a (2 Lal 23.15-20). Babulon lal Nebukadnezzara II (634-562 BC) pawh khân Bethel hi a tichhe lo ve bawk a, a chhan ni àwma ngaih chu Assuria-hoin hetah hian Babulon mite an dah vàng a ni ang (2 Lal 17.24,30). Babulon saltâng lo kîr leh zînga ṭhenkhat kha Bethel-ah hian an chêng a (Ezr 2.28; Neh 11.31). Makkabia hun lai (166-37 BC) khân Bethel chu Suria-hoin an awp a. Thuthlung Thar hunah khân Bethel chu khaw pângngai ve tak a ni ná a, vawi khat mah sawi lan a ni lo a; Jerusalem bul hnaia awm ni mah se Isuan a tlawh lo a ni ang. Rom sipai hotu Vespasian-a (AD 9-79) khân Rom lal a nih hmain Judai rama a khaw lák hnuhnung ber a ni. Byzantine hun kha (AD 330-1453) he khuaah hian mi chêng tam lai ber a ni ang, an kawtthlêr pakhat chu tûna Arab khaw tê Beitin hmàrchhak kilah hian hmuh theihin a la awm. Hmân aṭangin Arab-hoin Bethel hmun hlui bulah hian Beitin khua an lo din a; kum 1967-a Ni Ruk Indo (Six Days War) hnûah khán Israel-ten Beitin khaw hrûlah hian khaw thar an din a, chu chu Beit El an ti.

Bethel khua hi Abrahama te hun hma daiha din tawh kha a ni a; mi ṭhenkhat chuan 3200 BC vêla din niin an ring a, mi dangin 2000 BC vêla dinah an ngai. Bethel hming hmasa Luz tih pawh hi Kanaan ram luahtu hmasate phuah a ni ang. Bethel hmingthanna ber chu Esaua hlaua Jakoba a tlànchhiat lai khán Bethel-ah hian lung lukhamin a mu a, zàn inlàrna a hmuhna kha a ni. Jakoba muhîl a lo harh chuan a lung lukham chu hriak a leih a, a phun a, chu hmun hmingah chuan ‘Beth-El’ a vuah ta a ni (Gen 28.10-19). Genesis 35-ah chuan he hmun bawk hi Jakoba’n ‘El-Beth-el’ a vuah thu a lo lang leh a (Gen 35.7); chumi awmzia chu ‘Pathian in Pathian’ tihna a ni. Hêng thil thleng avàngte pawh hi a ni ang, kum 1988-1989-a Myanmar aṭanga lo chhuk thuhriltu khán ‘Bethel’ chu Pathian pâwla ṭawngṭaina hmun angin a rawn hmang ta a. Tûnah chuan Kohhran ṭawngkam tlânglâwn tak angin mi tam takin an hmang ta sup sup mai a. Pastor leh Kohhran Upa hmui aṭang pawhin ‘Kan Bethel dâwn’ tih a chhuak ta fo mai zawng a nih hi! Chu chang a ni lo, dàwr hmingah te pawh ‘Bethel’ tih chu kan châwi ta zêl bawk.

Bethel chu Jakoba’n Pathian a tawhna hmun pawimawh a ni nachungin Israel-te chanchin kal zêlah chuan hmun duhawm a ni hran lo. Lal Solomona thih hnûah Israel ram a lo inṭhen a. Hmâr lam chu ‘Israel lalram’ (kingdom of Israel) tih a ni a, chhim lam chu ‘Juda lalram’ (kingdom of Judah) tih a ni. Hmâr lam lal hmasa ber Jeroboama I (931-910 BC) khán a mite chu Jerusalem-ah Pathian be tùra an kal fo chu a ngaithei lo a, an kal loh dàn tùr a ngaihtuah ta a. A ram hmâr tàwp lam Dan khawpuiah rangkachak sebâwngno lem pakhat a dah a; a ram chhim lam Judai ramri hnaih Bethel-ah chuan rangkachak sebâwngno lem pakhat a dah bawk a. A mite hnênah chuan, “In tân Jerusalem-a kal chhoh fo a harsa si a, hei hi in pathian, Aigupta ata hruai chhuaktu che u kha a ni e” a ti a (1 Lal 12.28-30). Chuta ṭang chuan Bethel chu Jehova laka uirèna hmun, Israel-te bawhchhiatna hmun, pathian dik lo biakna hmun a lo ni ta. Bethel khaw hming pakhat ni-a mi ṭhenkhatin an ngaih ‘Beth-aven’ awmzia chu ‘suahsualna in’ tihna a nih ang khân Bethel chu ‘suahsual rawngbàwlna hmun’ a lo ni ta. Bethel khaw hmun hluiah hian Arab-in emaw Juda-ten emaw tûn hnûah khua han din leh pawh ni se, khaw lian leh ṭhangduang a ni pha tawh lo.

Jeroboama I khân hetianga rangkachak sebâwngno lem biakna hmuna a siam ták hnûah chuan Bethel hi a ṭha lama sawi a ni ta mang lo. Kum zabi 8-na laiah phei kha chuan Bethel chu Pathian meuh pawhin zàwlneite hmangin a sawi sawp nasa hle a ni. Bethel-a chêngte chu ‘mi sual’ tih an ni (Hos 10.15). “Bethel maichàmte chu ka tichim ang a, maichàm ki pawh ka titliak ang a, leiah a tla rem rum ang’ (Amos 3.14). “Bethel-ah lo kal ula, bawhchhe rawh u” (Amos 4.4). “Bethel-ah mi zawng suh u, Gilgal-ah kal hek suh u... Bethel pawhin hlutna a nei tawh lo ang” (Amos 5.5). “Bethel mite a kàng ral vek ang a, tu man an ṭhelh lo ang” (Amos 5.6). Bethel puithiam Amazia chuan Amosa chu Judai rama haw daih tùr leh Bethel-ah thu hril tawh lo tùrin a hrilh nghe nghe (Amos 7.12). Hêng vàng hi a ni mah ná, Isua rawngbàwlna chanchinah Bethel hi a lang miah lo. Samari hmeichhia nèna an intawh ṭuma Samari ram kal tlanga Galili a pan ṭum khán Bethel hi a pal tlang ngei tùr a ni ná a, eng mah sawi a awm tlat lo.

Hêng thil hrang hrangte ka ngaihtuah neuh neuh hian tûnlaia ‘Bethel’ kan hman dàn hi a ṭha lam a ni nachungin kei chu ka tîm deuh ṭhin a. Khawi laiah emaw thing bul leh lung bulah Pathian bengngawng bia ang hrimin ring tak takin kan va ṭawngṭai a, “Ka Bethel” kan ti ṭhin. A hmangtute tân chuan a fiaha, a ṭha lama hmang an nih chuan, “Hetiang hian hmang suh u” intih ngawt chi erawh chu a ni lo mai thei. Pastor leh Kohhran Upa thleng thleng hi chuan he ṭawngkam hi hman tam loh a ṭha zâwk àwm e. Kohhran ṭawngkama seng luh atân chuan a iaiawm deuh lo maw? ‘Bethel’ hmang kher lo hian thing bul lung bul bèla kan ṭawngṭai duh a nih pawhin Mizoin ṭawngkam mawi tak kan neih sa ‘fianrial’ tih a awm a. ‘Ka fianrial dâwn’ ti ta theuh mai ila. Isua kha a Bethel ve ngai lo a, mahse fianrialah a Pa pâwlin a ṭawngṭai ṭhin. Kei hi zawng ka ngaih dàn a herh deuh bîk nge, ka duhtui ve hrim hrim, ‘Ka Bethel’ tih angreng hi ka hmang ve ngai tlat lo!