2 Imilando 1
1 USolomoni indodana kaDavida waseqina embusweni wakhe, leNkosi uNkulunkulu wakhe yayilaye, yamenza waba mkhulu kakhulu.
David’s son [King] Solomon was able to gain complete control over his kingdom, because Yahweh his God helped him and enabled him to become very powerful.
2 USolomoni wasekhuluma kuIsrayeli wonke, kubaphathi bezinkulungwane labamakhulu, lakubahluleli, lakuzo zonke induna kuIsrayeli wonke, inhloko zaboyise.
[When] David [was king, he had arranged for a new] Sacred Tent [to be] made in Jerusalem. Then David [and the Israeli leaders] had brought God’s Sacred Chest from Kiriath-Jearim [city] to the new Sacred Tent in Jerusalem that he had prepared for it. But [when Solomon became the king, ] the first Sacred Tent was still at Gibeon [city]. That was the tent that Moses, the man who served God [well], had [arranged to be] made in the desert. And the bronze altar that Bezalel, the son of Uri and grandson of Hur, had made was also still in Gibeon, in front of the first Sacred Tent. [One day] Solomon summoned the army commanders of 1,000 soldiers and the commanders of 100 soldiers and the judges and all the other leaders in Israel. He told them to go with him to Gibeon. So they all went to a hill in Gibeon [where the Sacred Tent was], and Solomon and all the others with him worshiped Yahweh there.
3 USolomoni lebandla lonke laye basebesiya endaweni ephakemeyo eyayiseGibeyoni; ngoba kwakukhona lapho ithente lenhlangano kaNkulunkulu uMozisi inceku yeNkosi alenzayo enkangala.
4 Kodwa uDavida wayewenyusile umtshokotsho kaNkulunkulu uvela eKiriyathi-Jeyarimi, wawusa lapho uDavida ayewulungisele khona, ngoba wayewumisele ithente eJerusalema.
5 Lelathi lethusi, uBhezaleli indodana kaUri indodana kaHuri ayelenzile, walibeka phambi kwethabhanekele leNkosi; uSolomoni lebandla badinga-ke kulo.
6 USolomoni wasesenyukela lapho elathini lethusi phambi kweNkosi elalisethenteni lenhlangano, wanikela phezu kwalo iminikelo yokutshiswa eyinkulungwane.
Then Solomon went up to the bronze altar in front of the Sacred Tent, and he offered 1,000 animals to be [killed and] completely burned [on the altar].
7 Ngalobobusuku uNkulunkulu wabonakala kuSolomoni, wathi kuye: Cela engingakupha khona.
That night God appeared to Solomon [in a dream] and said to him, “Request whatever you want me to give to you.”
8 USolomoni wasesithi kuNkulunkulu: Wena wenzele uDavida ubaba umusa omkhulu, wangenza ngaba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe.
Solomon replied, “You were very kind to David my father, and now you have appointed me to be the king to succeed him.
9 Khathesi, Nkosi Nkulunkulu, kaliqiniswe ilizwi lakho kuDavida ubaba, ngoba wena ungenze ngaba yinkosi phezu kwabantu abanengi ngangothuli lomhlabathi.
So Yahweh my God, you have caused me to become the king to rule people who are as many as the particles of dirt on the earth. So do what you promised my father David.
10 Khathesi ngipha inhlakanipho lolwazi ukuze ngiphume ngingene phambi kwalababantu; ngoba ngubani ongehlulela lababantu bakho abakhulu kangaka?
Please enable me to be wise and to know [what I should do], in order that I may rule these people [well], because there is no one who can rule all this great nation of yours [without your help].”
11 UNkulunkulu wasesithi kuSolomoni: Ngenxa yokuthi lokhu bekusenhliziyweni yakho, njalo ungacelanga inotho, ingcebo, lodumo, lempilo yezitha zakho, futhi ungacelanga insuku ezinengi, kodwa uzicelele inhlakanipho lolwazi ukuze wahlulele abantu bami engikwenze waba yinkosi phezu kwabo:
God replied, “[I am pleased with what] you desire; you have not requested a huge amount of money or to be honored or that your enemies be killed. And you have not requested that you live for a long time. Instead, you have requested that [I enable] you [to] be wise and [to] know [what you should do] in order that you may govern [well] my people whom I have appointed you to rule.
12 Inhlakanipho lolwazi ukuphiwe; ngizakunika futhi inotho lengcebo lodumo, angazange abe lakho okunjalo amakhosi ayengaphambi kwakho, langemva kwakho kakuyikuba khona okunjalo.
Therefore I will enable you to be wise and to know [what you should do to rule my people well]. But I will also enable you to have a huge amount of money and to be honored, more than anyone who was previously a king ever was honored, more than anyone who later becomes king will be honored.”
13 Wasebuya uSolomoni evela endaweni ephakemeyo eseGibeyoni waya eJerusalema, evela phambi kwethente lenhlangano; wasebusa phezu kukaIsrayeli.
Then Solomon [and the people who were with him all] left from being in front of he Sacred Tent [on the hill in Gibeon], and they returned to Jerusalem. From there he ruled the Israeli people.
14 USolomoni wasebuthanisa izinqola labagadi bamabhiza; wayelezinqola ezingamakhulu alitshumi lane, labagadi bamabhiza abazinkulungwane ezilitshumi lambili; wasekubeka emizini yezinqola, njalo kanye lenkosi eJerusalema.
Solomon acquired 1,400 chariots and 12,000 men who rode [on horses]. He put some of the chariots and horses in Jerusalem, and put some of them in various other cities.
15 Inkosi yasisenza isiliva legolide eJerusalema kwaba njengamatshe, njalo wenza imisedari yaba njengemikhiwa yesikhamore esesihotsheni, ngobunengi.
During the years that Solomon was king, silver and gold were as common in Jerusalem as stones, and [lumber from] cedar trees were as plentiful as [lumber from] ordinary sycamore trees in the foothills.
16 Wasengenisa ngokuthenga amabhiza avela eGibhithe, ayengekaSolomoni, lelembu elicolekileyo; labathengi benkosi babelithatha ilembu elicolekileyo ngentengo.
Solomon’s horses were imported/brought from Egypt and from [the] Kue [region in Turkey].
17 Basebesenyusa bekhupha inqola eGibhithe ngamashekeli esiliva angamakhulu ayisithupha, lebhiza ngamashekeli alikhulu lamatshumi amahlanu. Ngokunjalo bakukhuphela wonke amakhosi amaHethi lamakhosi eSiriya ngesandla sabo.
In Egypt his men paid 15 pounds of silver for each chariot and 3-3/4 pounds of silver for each horse. They also exported/sold many of them to the kings of the Heth and Aram people-groups.
