Preparations for Building the Temple
(1 Kings 5.1-18)1 King Solomon decided to build a temple where the Lord would be worshiped, and also to build a palace for himself. 2 He put 70,000 men to work transporting materials, and 80,000 to work cutting stone in the hill country. There were 3,600 others responsible for supervising the work.
3 Solomon sent a message to King Hiram of Tyre: “Do business with me as you did with my father, King David, when you sold him cedar logs for building his palace. 4 I am building a temple to honor the Lord my God. It will be a holy place where my people and I will worship him by burning incense of fragrant spices, where we will present offerings of sacred bread to him continuously, and where we will offer burnt offerings every morning and evening, as well as on Sabbaths, New Moon Festivals, and other holy days honoring the Lord our God. He has commanded Israel to do this forever. 5 I intend to build a great temple, because our God is greater than any other god. 6 Yet no one can really build a temple for God, because even all the vastness of heaven cannot contain him. How then can I build a temple that would be anything more than a place to burn incense to God? 7 Now send me a man with skill in engraving, in working gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in making blue, purple, and red cloth. He will work with the craftsmen of Judah and Jerusalem whom my father David selected. 8 I know how skillful your lumbermen are, so send me cedar, cypress, and juniper logs from Lebanon. I am ready to send my men to assist yours 9 in preparing large quantities of timber, because this temple I intend to build will be large and magnificent. 10 As provisions for your lumbermen, I will send you 100,000 bushels of wheat, 100,000 bushels of barley, 110,000 gallons of wine, and 110,000 gallons of olive oil.”
11 King Hiram sent Solomon a letter in reply. He wrote, “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king. 12 Praise the Lord God of Israel, Creator of heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, full of understanding and skill, who now plans to build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself. 13 I am sending you a wise and skillful master metalworker named Huram. 14 His mother was a member of the tribe of Dan and his father was a native of Tyre. He knows how to make things out of gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood. He can work with blue, purple, and red cloth, and with linen. He can do all sorts of engraving and can follow any design suggested to him. Let him work with your skilled workers and with those who worked for your father, King David. 15 So now send us the wheat, barley, wine, and olive oil that you promised. 16 In the mountains of Lebanon we will cut down all the cedars you need, tie them together in rafts, and float them by sea as far as Joppa. From there you can take them to Jerusalem.”
Construction of the Temple Begins
(1 Kings 6.1-38)17 King Solomon took a census of all the foreigners living in the land of Israel, similar to the census his father David had taken. There were 153,600 resident foreigners. 18 He assigned 70,000 of them to transport materials and 80,000 to cut stones in the mountains, and appointed 3,600 supervisors to make sure the work was done.
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.