1 Ahemfo 5
1 Na Tirohene Huram yɛ ɔhene Dawid adamfo nokwafo, enti bere a ɔtee sɛ wɔasra Salomo ngo sɛ ɔhene sɛ onni nʼagya Dawid ade no, ɔsomaa nʼasomafo kɔɔ Salomo nkyɛn, kɔmaa no tirinkwa.
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 Salomo de saa nkra yi maa sɛ wɔnsan mfa nkɔma Huram:
Solomon [gave those messengers] this message to take back to Hiram:
3 “Wo ara wunim sɛ mʼagya Dawid antumi ansi asɔredan anhyɛ Awurade ne Nyankopɔn din anuonyam, esiane akokoakoko a ɔne aman a wɔatwa ne ho ahyia no dii nti. Wantumi anyɛ kosii sɛ Awurade de nʼatamfo hyɛɛ nʼanan ase.
“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 Nanso mprempren, Awurade, me Nyankopɔn ama me ahotɔ wɔ afa nyinaa, minni ɔtamfo biara na biribiara rekɔ yiye.
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 Ne saa nti, mayɛ adwene sɛ mesi asɔredan ama Awurade, me Nyankopɔn sɛnea Awurade ka kyerɛɛ mʼagya Dawid se me na mɛyɛ no. ‘Wo ba a mede no bɛtena ahengua so, asi wʼanan mu no besi asɔredan ahyɛ me din anuonyam.’
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 “Ɛno nti, hyɛ ma wonkotwa sida a efi Lebanon mmrɛ me. Me mmarima ne wo mmarima bɛyɛ adwuma, na akatua biara a wubegye ama wɔn no, metua. Wo ara wunim sɛ, obiara nkyɛn Sidonfo wɔ nnuabu mu.”
“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 Bere a Huram tee Salomo nkra no, nʼani sɔɔ yiye kae se, “Ayeyi nka Awurade nnɛ, efisɛ wama Dawid ɔba nyansafo sɛ ommedi saa ɔman kɛse Israel yi so.”
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 Enti Huram de nkra kɔmaa Salomo se, “Me nsa aka nkra a wode brɛɛ me no, na mɛyɛ wʼabisade a ɛfa nnua no ho no. Metumi de sida nnua ne ɔpepaw nnua abrɛ wo.
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 Mʼasomfo de nnua no befi Lebanon mmepɔw so aba Po Kɛse so, na mɛma atentɛn afa po ani sɛnea wɔde ayɛ ɔkorow no, de akɔ baabiara a wobɛkyerɛ. Ɛno akyi no, yɛbɛsan mu na yɛde nnua no abrɛ wo. Wobɛma me fifo aduan, sɛnea mehwehwɛ no.”
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 Huram faa saa ɔkwan yi so maa Salomo sida ne ɔpepaw nnua sɛnea ɔpɛ,
So Hiram [arranged for his workers to] supply all the cedar and cypress logs that Solomon wanted.
11 na Salomo maa Huram fifo atoko tɔn 3,600 ne ngo kronkron galɔn 120,000.
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 Na Awurade maa Salomo nyansa a emu dɔ, sɛnea ɔhyɛɛ no bɔ no. Na Huram ne Salomo yɛɛ asomdwoe apam.
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 Na ɔhene Salomo kyerɛw adwumayɛfo mpem aduasa a wofi Israel nyinaa din.
King Solomon forced 30,000 men from all over Israel to become his workers.
14 Ɔsomaa wɔn akuwakuw kɔɔ Lebanon. Ɔsram biara mu, nnipa mpem du kɔ, sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a, ɔbarima baako biara bedi ɔsram baako wɔ Lebanon, na wadi asram abien wɔ fie. Adoniram na na ɔhwɛ saa adwumayɛfo yi so.
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 Salomo nso faa nnesoasoafo mpem aduɔson; faa abopaefo mpem aduɔwɔtwe fi bepɔw asase no so,
Solomon also forced 80,000 men to cut stones in the hilly area and 70,000 men to haul the stones [to Jerusalem].
16 ne wɔn so sohwɛfo mpem ahaasa ne ahansia a wɔbɛhwɛ adwuma no so.
And he also assigned 3,600 men to supervise their work.
17 Ɔhene no hyɛ ma abotwafo no paee, twaa aboɔdemmo no, yiyii ho sɛnea wɔde bɛhyɛ Asɔredan no fapem.
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 Mmarima a wofi Gebal kuropɔn mu boaa Salomo ne Huram adansifo no, ma wosiesiee nnua ne abo no maa Asɔredan no si.
Solomon’s workers and Hiram’s workers and men from Gebal/Byblos [city] shaped the stones and prepared the timber to build the temple.
