Solomon Asks Hiram To Help Build the Temple
(1 Kings 5.1-12)1 Solomon decided to build a temple where the Lord would be worshiped, and also to build a palace for himself. 2 He assigned 70,000 men to carry building supplies and 80,000 to cut stone from the hills. And he chose 3,600 men to supervise these workers.
3 Solomon sent the following message to King Hiram of Tyre:
Years ago, when my father David was building his palace, you supplied him with cedar logs. Now will you send me supplies? 4 I am building a temple where the Lord my God will be worshiped. Sweet-smelling incense will be burned there, and sacred bread will be offered to him. Worshipers will offer sacrifices to the Lord every morning and evening, every Sabbath, and on the first day of each month, as well as during all our religious festivals. These things will be done for all time, just as the Lord has commanded.
5 This will be a great temple, because our God is greater than all other gods. 6 No one can ever build a temple large enough for God—even the heavens are too small a place for him to live in! All I can do is build a place where we can offer sacrifices to him.
7 Send me a worker who can not only carve, but who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as make brightly colored cloth. The person you send will work here in Judah and Jerusalem with the skilled workers that my father has already hired.
8 I know that you have workers who are experts at cutting lumber in Lebanon. So would you please send me some cedar, pine, and juniper logs? My workers will be there to help them, 9 because I'll need a lot of lumber to build such a large and glorious temple. 10 I will pay your woodcutters 2,000 tons of wheat, the same amount of barley, 400,000 liters of wine, and that same amount of olive oil.
11 Hiram sent his answer back to Solomon:
I know that the Lord must love his people, because he has chosen you to be their king. 12 Praise the Lord God of Israel who made heaven and earth! He has given David a son who isn't only wise and smart, but who has the knowledge to build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.
13 I am sending Huram Abi to you. He is wise and very skillful. 14 His mother was from the Israelite tribe of Dan, and his father was from Tyre. Not only is Huram an expert at working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, but he can also make colored cloth and fine linen. And he can carve anything if you give him a pattern to follow. He can help your workers and those hired by your father King David.
15 Go ahead and send the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine you promised to pay my workers. 16 I will tell them to start cutting down trees in Lebanon. They will cut as many as you need, then tie them together into rafts, and float them down along the coast to Joppa. Your workers can take them to Jerusalem from there.
Solomon's Work Force
17 Solomon counted all the foreigners who were living in Israel, just as his father David had done when he was king, and the total was 153,600. 18 He assigned 70,000 of them to carry building supplies and 80,000 of them to cut stone from the hills. He chose 3,600 others to supervise the workers and to make sure the work was completed.
Kululwamisila bakiwa kwe Ng'umba ye Ndzimu
(1 Bomambo 5:1-18)1 Solomoni wakadusa ndaulo kuti kubakwe Ng'umba ye Ndzimu ibakigwa zina la Yahwe ne kuti kubakwe ng'umba iye ye bumambo. 2 Solomoni wakatola balume bali zwiwulu zwili makumi ali kutendeka (70 000) kuti basenge zwishingisiwa zwinobaka ne bali zwiwulu zwili makumi ali zhanakadzi (80 000) kuti bakobole mabgwe mu matombo ne bali zwiwulu zwitatu zwina mazana ali tathatu (3 600) kube batungamili be nshingo.
3 Ngono Solomoni kayisa dama kuna Huramu mambo we Tire kati, “Munditumilile mapango e miti ye sida sekwa makathamila tate bangu Dafite kuti babakise ng'umba yabo ye bushe. 4 Bonani, ngwenu ndoshaka kubaka ng'umba ndi ibakila zina la Yahwe Ndzimu wangu ne kuipa Ndzimu kuti kupisigwe motsha unonuhwa zwinozipa mbeli kwawo, ne kuzhisa zwipo zwe tjiwunga zwinozhisiwa tjibaka ne tjibaka muili ne kupisila zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa mangwanana ne madekwana ne zwinopisiwa mu mazhuba e Sabata ne zwinopisiwa tjibaka tje Mwedzi ugala nenge zwinopisiwa mu zwibaka zwe mizano yakabigwa ya Yahwe Ndzimu wedu, ibo bakalaula kuti ikoko kuthamiwe. 5 Ng'umba yandinoshaka baka inowobe hwulu kwazo ngobe Ndzimu wedu nkulu kupinda midzimu yose. 6 Koga dumbu ndiani ungatubula kuubakila ng'umba ngoti zhuzhugwi na pezhugwizhugwi zwisakaulizana kene? Dumbu ndiani imi kwandingaubakila ng'umba yaungagala kene? Kuzhe kwekuti ndiubakile pangapisigwa zwibhayilo koga kene? 7 Ndizo ngwenu unditumile nlume una luzibo gwe kushinga nge golide ne siliva ne phangula ne butale nenge kuthama jila le mbala we gova ne jila shaba ne jila le bushaba gwakabondelela, abe akazwidiya kukwala muna zwakasima, unditumilile iye kuti azhe ashinge ne nyambi dze bashingi dzinami mu Juda nemu Jerusalema ibo bakashalugwa ndi tate bangu Dafite. 8 Unditumilile kakale mapango e misida ne e misipuri ne e aligumu inodwa ku Lebanoni, ngobe ndoziba kuti balanda babo banoziba kubezha mapango anodwa ku Lebanoni. Balanda bangu banowobhatshana ne balanda babo, 9 kundilulwamisila mapango manjinji ngobe ng'umba yandinobaka inowobe hwuluhwulu kwazo kakale itjenamisa. 10 Ngono ndowopa balanda babo banotema miti masaka ali zwiwulu zwili zana (100 000) zwe mathunde e korong ne masaka ali zwiwulu zwili zana (100 000) zwe mathunde e bhali ne maswaki ali zwiwulu zwili zana lina gumi (110 000) e nkumbi we zhambi ne maswaki ali zwiwulu zwili zana lina gumi (110 000) e mafuta e ntoba.”
11 Ipapo Huramu mambo we Tire kashandula Solomoni nge nkwalo eti, “Ngoti Yahwe banoda bathu babo bakubiga kuti ube mambo we bathu babo.”
12 Huramu kadwilila kati, “Kudzani Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela, ibo bakabumba kudzimu ne shango! Ibo bakapa Dafite nkololo wakatjenjela, uzhele luzibo ne hwisiso, iye unowobakila Yahwe ng'umba kakale kazwibakila ng'umba ye bushe.
13 “Ndokuzhisila Huramuabi, nyambi ye nlume una luzibo, 14 mmeyabe bakabe bedwa ku Dani ngono tate babe bedwa mu Tire. Wakazwidiyila shinga nge golide ne siliva ne phangula ne butale ne mabgwe ne lukuni nenge kushinga nge matyila e mbala we gova ne mashaba neye bushaba gwakabondelela ne matjena. Una luzibo muna zose zwe kukobola, i nyambi yethama zwithu zwakasiyana siyana zwaangabe apiwa kuti azwithame. Unowoshinga ne nyambi dzidzo ne dza tetshi bangu Dafite tate babo. 15 Ndizo ngwenu tetshi bangu ngabatumilile balanda babo mathunde e korong ne mathunde e bhali ne mafuta e ntoba ne nkumbi we zhambi zwabakagadzabgwe. 16 Towotema mapango mu Lebanoni amunoshaka tikamuzhisila iwo ku Jopa nge gungwa ngono iwe unowoatola ukayisa ku Jerusalema.”
Ng'umba ye Ndzimu inotangisiwa bakiwa
(1 Bomambo 6:1-38)17 Ipapo Solomoni kabala bataya bose bakabe bali mu Iziraela shule kwe mbalo ye bathu yakathamwa ndi tate babe Dafite, ngono bakawanika bali zwiwulu zwili zana ling'ompela zwina makumi mashanu ana zwili zwitatu ne mazana ali tathatu (153 600). 18 Mu bali, bali zwiwulu zwili makumi ali kutendeka (70 000) kababiga kuti babe ibo basengi, bali zwiwulu zwili makumi ali zhanakadzi (80 000) ibo bakabe banokobola mabgwe mu matombo ne bali zwiwulu zwitatu zwina mazana ali tathatu (3 600) bakabigwa kuti babe batungamili kubona kuti nshingo unoyenda.