1 Wafalme 5
1 Hiramu mfalme wa Tiro aliposikia kuwa Solomoni ametiwa mafuta awe mfalme mahali pa Daudi baba yake, akatuma wajumbe kwa Solomoni, kwa sababu Hiramu siku zote alikuwa na uhusiano mzuri wa kirafiki na Daudi.
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 Solomoni akapeleka ujumbe huu kwa Hiramu:
Solomon [gave those messengers] this message to take back to Hiram:
3 “Unajua kwamba kwa sababu ya vita vilivyopiganwa dhidi ya baba yangu Daudi kutoka pande zote, hakuweza kujenga Hekalu kwa ajili ya Jina la Bwana Mungu wake, hadi Bwana alipowaweka adui zake chini ya miguu yake.
“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 Lakini sasa Bwana Mungu wangu amenipa utulivu kila upande hakuna adui wala maafa.
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 Kwa hiyo, ninakusudia kujenga Hekalu kwa ajili ya Jina la Bwana, Mungu wangu, kama Bwana alivyomwambia baba yangu Daudi, wakati aliposema, ‘Mwanao nitakayemweka kwenye kiti cha ufalme mahali pako, ndiye atajenga Hekalu kwa ajili ya Jina langu.’
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 “Hivyo toa amri ili mierezi ya Lebanoni ikatwe kwa ajili yangu. Watu wangu watafanya kazi na watu wako, nami nitawalipa watu wako kwa ujira wowote utakaoupanga. Unajua kwamba hatuna mtu yeyote mwenye ustadi katika kukata miti kama Wasidoni.”
“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 Hiramu aliposikia ujumbe wa Solomoni, akafurahishwa sana akasema, “Ahimidiwe Bwana leo, kwa kuwa amempa Daudi mwana mwenye hekima kutawala juu ya taifa hili kubwa.”
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 Hiramu akatuma neno kwa Solomoni: “Nimepokea ujumbe ulionipelekea na nitafanya yote unayohitaji katika kukupatia magogo ya mierezi na misunobari.
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 Watu wangu watayakokota kutoka Lebanoni hadi kwenye bahari, nami nitayafunga mafungu mafungu yaelee juu ya maji hadi utakapoelekeza. Huko nitayatenganisha, nawe utaweza kuyachukua. Wewe utakidhi haja yangu kwa kunipatia chakula kwa ajili ya watu wa nyumbani mwangu.”
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 Kwa njia hii Hiramu akampa Solomoni miti yote ya mierezi na magogo ya misunobari kama alivyohitaji,
So Hiram [arranged for his workers to] supply all the cedar and cypress logs that Solomon wanted.
11 naye Solomoni akampa Hiramu kori 20,000 za ngano kama chakula kwa ajili ya watu wa nyumbani mwake, pamoja na mafuta safi ya zeituni yaliyokamuliwa bathi 20,000. Solomoni aliendelea kumfanyia Hiramu hivyo mwaka baada ya mwaka.
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 Bwana akampa Solomoni hekima, kama alivyomwahidi. Palikuwepo na uhusiano wa amani kati ya Hiramu na Solomoni, na wote wawili wakafanya mkataba.
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 Mfalme Solomoni akakusanya wafanyakazi 30,000 kutoka Israeli yote.
King Solomon forced 30,000 men from all over Israel to become his workers.
14 Akawapeleka Lebanoni kwa zamu za watu 10,000 kwa mwezi, hivyo walikaa Lebanoni kwa mwezi mmoja na miezi miwili nyumbani. Adoniramu ndiye alikuwa kiongozi wa shokoa.
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 Solomoni alikuwa na wachukuzi wa mizigo 70,000 na wachonga mawe 80,000 huko vilimani,
Solomon also forced 80,000 men to cut stones in the hilly area and 70,000 men to haul the stones [to Jerusalem].
16 pamoja na wasimamizi 3,300 ambao walisimamia kazi hiyo na kuwaongoza wafanyakazi.
And he also assigned 3,600 men to supervise their work.
17 Kwa amri ya mfalme walitoa kwenye machimbo ya mawe, mawe makubwa, yaliyo bora kwa kujengea msingi wa nyumba yaliyochongwa kwa ajili ya Hekalu.
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 Mafundi wa Solomoni, wa Hiramu na watu wa Gebali walikata na kuandaa mbao na mawe kwa ajili ya ujenzi wa Hekalu.
Solomon’s workers and Hiram’s workers and men from Gebal/Byblos [city] shaped the stones and prepared the timber to build the temple.
