1 Amakhosi 5
1 UHiramu inkosi yeTire wasethuma inceku zakhe kuSolomoni, ngoba wayezwile ukuthi bamgcobile ukuthi abe yinkosi esikhundleni sikayise, ngoba uHiramu wayemthanda uDavida insuku zonke.
Hiram, the king of Tyre [city], had always been a close friend of King David. When he heard that Solomon had been appointed to become the king after his father was no longer king, he sent some messengers to Solomon [to congratulate him].
2 USolomoni wasethumela kuHiramu esithi:
Solomon [gave those messengers] this message to take back to Hiram:
3 Wena uyazi ukuthi uDavida ubaba wayengelakwakhela ibizo leNkosi uNkulunkulu wakhe indlu ngenxa yezimpi ezazimzingelezele, iNkosi yaze yazifaka ngaphansi kwengaphansi yenyawo zakhe.
“You know that my father David [led his soldiers to] fight many wars against his enemies in the nearby countries. So he could not [arrange to] build a temple in which we [MTY] could worship Yahweh our God, until after Yahweh enabled [the Israeli army] to defeat [IDM] all his enemies.
4 Kodwa khathesi iNkosi uNkulunkulu inginikile ukuphumula inhlangothi zonke; kakulasitha, njalo kakulabubi obenzakalayo.
But now Yahweh our God has enabled us to have peace with all the surrounding countries. [(There is no danger that/We do not need to worry that)] we will be attacked.
5 Khangela-ke, ngizimisele ukwakhela ibizo leNkosi uNkulunkulu wami indlu njengokutsho kweNkosi kuDavida ubaba isithi: Indodana yakho engizayibeka esihlalweni sakho sobukhosi esikhundleni sakho, yona izakwakhela ibizo lami indlu.
Yahweh promised my father David, ‘Your son, whom I will enable to be king after you are no longer king, will build a temple for me [MTY].’ Because of that, I have decided to build a temple in which we can worship [MTY] Yahweh our God.
6 Ngakho-ke laya ukuthi bangigamulele imisedari eLebhanoni, lenceku zami zizakuba lenceku zakho; leholo lenceku zakho ngizakunika njengakho konke okutshoyo. Ngoba wena uyakwazi ukuthi kakho phakathi kwethu okwaziyo ukugamula izihlahla njengabeSidoni.
“So [I am requesting that] you command your workers to cut cedar trees for me. My men will work with them, and I will pay your workers whatever you decide. [But] my men [cannot do the work alone, ] because they do not know how to cut down trees like your workers from Sidon [city] do.”
7 Kwasekusithi uHiramu esizwa amazwi kaSolomoni wathokoza kakhulu wathi: Kayibusiswe iNkosi lamuhla emnikileyo uDavida indodana ehlakaniphileyo phezu kwalesisizwe esikhulu.
When Hiram heard the message from Solomon, he was very happy and said, “I praise Yahweh today for giving David a very wise son to rule that great nation!”
8 UHiramu wasethumela kuSolomoni esithi: Ngizwile lokho ongithumele ngakho; mina ngizakwenza zonke iziloyiso zakho mayelana lezigodo zemisedari lamayelana lezigodo zamafiri.
He sent this message back to Solomon: “I have heard the message that you sent to me, and I am ready to do what you ask. I will provide cedar and cypress logs.
9 Inceku zami zizazehlisa zisuka eLebhanoni zisiya elwandle; mina-ke ngizazenza okundendayo olwandle ukuya endaweni ozayiqamba kimi, ngizithukulule lapho; wena-ke uzazithathela khona, wena uzakwenza isifiso sami ngokupha abendlu yami ukudla.
My workers will bring the logs down from [the] Lebanon [mountains] to the [Mediterranean] sea. Then they will [tie them together to] make rafts to float them [in the water] along the coast to the place that you indicate. Then my workers will untie the logs, and your workers will take them from there. What I want you to do is to supply food for the people who work in my palace.”
10 Ngakho uHiramu wamnika uSolomoni izigodo zemisedari lezigodo zamafiri njengokwezifiso zakhe zonke.
So Hiram [arranged for his workers to] supply all the cedar and cypress logs that Solomon wanted.
11 LoSolomoni wanika uHiramu amakhori engqoloyi azinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amathathu lambili, ukudla kwabendlu yakhe, lamakhori angamatshumi amabili amafutha akhanyiweyo. Ngokunjalo uSolomoni wamupha uHiramu iminyaka ngeminyaka.
Each year Solomon gave Hiram 100,000 bushels of wheat and 110,000 gallons of pure [olive] oil to feed the people who worked in his palace.
12 INkosi yasimnika uSolomoni inhlakanipho njengokutsho kwayo kuye. Kwasekusiba khona ukuthula phakathi kukaHiramu loSolomoni; benza isivumelwano bobabili.
Yahweh enabled Solomon to be wise, just like he had promised. Solomon and Hiram made a treaty/agreement that there would be peace between their [two governments/countries].
13 Inkosi uSolomoni yabutha izibhalwa kuIsrayeli wonke; lezibhalwa zazingabantu abazinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amathathu.
King Solomon forced 30,000 men from all over Israel to become his workers.
14 Yasibathuma eLebhanoni, abazinkulungwane ezilitshumi ngenyanga ngamazopho, inyanga beseLebhanoni, inyanga ezimbili besekhaya. LoAdoniramu wayephezu kwezibhalwa.
Adoniram was their boss. Solomon divided the men into three groups. Each month 10,000 of them went to Lebanon and worked for a month there, and then they came back home for two months.
15 Futhi uSolomoni wayelabayizinkulungwane ezingamatshumi ayisikhombisa abathwala imithwalo, lababazi abazinkulungwane ezingamatshumi ayisificaminwembili ezintabeni,
Solomon also forced 80,000 men to cut stones in the hilly area and 70,000 men to haul the stones [to Jerusalem].
16 ngaphandle kwezinduna zabaphathi bakaSolomoni, ababephethe umsebenzi, izinkulungwane ezintathu lamakhulu amathathu, ezazibusa abantu ababesenza umsebenzi.
And he also assigned 3,600 men to supervise their work.
17 Inkosi yasilaya, baletha amatshe amakhulu, amatshe aligugu, okubeka isisekelo sendlu, amatshe abaziweyo.
The king also commanded his workers to cut huge blocks of stones from the quarries and to smooth the sides of the stones. Those huge stones were for the foundation of the temple.
18 Abakhi bakaSolomoni labakhi bakaHiramu lamaGebhali basebebaza, balungisa izigodo lamatshe ukwakha indlu.
Solomon’s workers and Hiram’s workers and men from Gebal/Byblos [city] shaped the stones and prepared the timber to build the temple.
