2 Imilando 8
1 Kwasekusithi ekupheleni kweminyaka engamatshumi amabili uSolomoni akha ngayo indlu yeNkosi lendlu yakhe,
Solomon’s [workers] worked for 20 years to build the temple and the king’s palace.
2 imizi uHuramu ayeyinike uSolomoni, uSolomoni wayakha, wahlalisa abantwana bakoIsrayeli khona.
Then his [workers] rebuilt the cities that [King] Hiram had given back to Solomon, and Solomon sent Israelis to live in those cities.
3 USolomoni wasesiya eHamathi-Zoba, wayinqoba.
Solomon’s [army] then went to Hamath-Zobah [town] and captured it.
4 Wakha iTadimori enkangala layo yonke imizi eyiziphala ayakha eHamathi.
His workers also rebuilt walls around Tadmor [town] in the desert, and in [the] Hamath [region] in all the towns where they kept supplies.
5 Wakha leBhethi-Horoni engaphezulu leBhethi-Horoni engaphansi, imizi ebiyelweyo elemithangala, amasango, lemigoqo,
They rebuilt Upper Beth-Horon [town] and Lower Beth-Horon [city], and built walls around them with gates [in the walls] and bars [to fasten the gates].
6 leBahalathi, lemizi yonke eyiziphala uSolomoni ayelayo, layo yonke imizi yezinqola, lemizi yabagadi bamabhiza, laso sonke isifiso sikaSolomoni ayefisa ngaso ukwakha eJerusalema leLebhanoni lelizweni lonke lombuso wakhe.
They also rebuilt Baalath [town] and all the cities where supplies were kept and the cities where Solomon’s chariots and horses were kept. Solomon’s [workers] built whatever he wanted them to build, in Jerusalem and in Lebanon, and in other places in the area that he ruled.
7 Abantu bonke ababesele kumaHethi lamaAmori lamaPerizi lamaHivi lamaJebusi, ababengeyisibo bakoIsrayeli,
Solomon forced people from many other groups who were not Israelis to work for him like slaves. They were people from the Heth, Amor, Periz, Hiv, and Jebus people-groups.
8 ebantwaneni babo ababesele emva kwabo elizweni abantwana bakoIsrayeli abangabaqedanga uSolomoni wabenyusa baba yizibhalwa kuze kube lamuhla.
They were descendants of groups whom the Israelis had not completely destroyed. Solomon forced them to become his slaves, and they are still slaves.
9 Kodwa ebantwaneni bakoIsrayeli uSolomoni kabenzanga izigqili zomsebenzi wakhe, kodwa baba ngamadoda empi, lezinduna zabalawulimabutho akhe, labaphathi bezinqola zakhe labagadi bamabhiza akhe.
But Solomon did not force Israelis to work for him. Israelis became his soldiers and commanders of his chariots and his chariot-drivers.
10 Lalaba babezinduna zeziphathamandla inkosi uSolomoni ayelazo, amakhulu amabili lamatshumi amahlanu, bebusa abantu.
They were also King Solomon’s chief officials. There were 250 of them, and they supervised the workers.
11 USolomoni wasesenyusa indodakazi kaFaro emzini kaDavida, wayisa endlini ayeyakhele yona, ngoba wathi: Umkami kayikuhlala endlini kaDavida inkosi yakoIsrayeli, ngoba izindawo zingcwele umtshokotsho weNkosi oze kizo.
Solomon moved his wife, who was the daughter of the king of Egypt, from [the place outside Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’ to the place that his workers had built for her. He said, “I do not want my wife to live in the palace that [my father] King David’s workers built, because the Sacred Chest [was in that palace for a while], and any place where the Sacred Chest has been is holy.”
12 Ngalesosikhathi uSolomoni wanikela eNkosini iminikelo yokutshiswa phezu kwelathi leNkosi ayelakhile phambi kwekhulusi.
On the altar that Solomon’s [workers] had built in front of the entrance [to the temple], Solomon sacrificed many offerings that were to be completely burned.
13 Ngitsho njengokumiselwe usuku ngosuku, enikela njengokomlayo kaMozisi ngamasabatha, langokuthwasa kwezinyanga, langemikhosi emisiweyo, kathathu ngomnyaka, ngomkhosi wesinkwa esingelamvubelo, langomkhosi wamaviki, langomkhosi wamadumba.
He did that to obey the rules about what sacrifices Moses had declared should be made. These included sacrifices for every day and for the Sabbath days and to celebrate each day on which there was a new moon and for the three other festivals that were celebrated each year. Those festivals were the Festival of Eating Unleavened Bread, the Harvest Festival, and the Festival of Living in Temporary Shelters.
14 Njengesimiso sikaDavida uyise wasemisa izigaba zabapristi phezu kwenkonzo yabo, lamaLevi emilindweni yawo ukudumisa lokukhonza phambi kwabapristi njengodaba losuku ngosuku lwalo, labalindimasango ezigabeni zabo kusango ngesango; ngoba wayelaye njalo uDavida umuntu kaNkulunkulu.
Obeying what his father David had commanded, he appointed the groups of priests for their work, and he appointed the descendants of Levi to lead the people while they sang to praise Yahweh and while they assisted the priests in their daily work. He also appointed groups of them to guard all the gates, because that was also what David, the man who pleased God [very well], had commanded.
15 Njalo kabaphambukanga emlayweni wenkosi kubapristi lamaLevi mayelana laluphi udaba kumbe mayelana lokuligugu.
The priests and other descendants of Levi obeyed completely everything that the king commanded, including [taking care of] the storerooms.
16 Walungiswa-ke umsebenzi wonke kaSolomoni kuze kube lusuku lokubekwa kwesisekelo sendlu yeNkosi, njalo yaze yaphela: Indlu yeNkosi yaphelela.
They did all the work [of building the temple] that Solomon told them to do, until it was all completed. So they finishing building the temple.
17 Ngalesosikhathi uSolomoni waya eEziyoni-Geberi leElothi okhunjini lolwandle elizweni leEdoma.
Then some of Solomon’s men went to Ezion-Geber and Elath [cities] on the coast of the Red Sea, an area that belonged to the Edom people-group.
18 UHuramu wasethumela kuye imikhumbi ngesandla sezinceku zakhe, lenceku ezazi ulwandle, zaya eOfiri kanye lenceku zikaSolomoni, zalanda khona igolide elingamathalenta angamakhulu amane lamatshumi amahlanu, zaliletha enkosini uSolomoni.
King Hiram sent to Solomon from [Tyre city] some ships that were commanded by his officers. They were men who were experienced sailors. These men went in the ships with Solomon’s men to [the] Ophir [region] and brought back about 17 tons of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.
