2 Beresosɛm 2
1 Salomo hyɛɛ sɛ wonsi Awurade Asɔredan ne nʼankasa nʼahemfi.
Solomon ordered that a temple should be built where Yahweh would be worshiped and also that a palace should be built for himself.
2 Ɔfaa apaafo mpem aduɔson ne abotwafo mpem aduɔwɔtwe fii bepɔw so aman mu ne nnipa mpem abiɛsa ne ahansia a wodi adwuma no anim.
He selected 70,000 men to carry the building supplies and 80,000 men to cut stones [(from quarries/walls of rock) in] the hills. He also chose 3,600 men to supervise them.
3 Salomo de nkra yi kɔmaa Tirohene Huram: “Brɛ me sida nnua te sɛ nea wɔde brɛɛ mʼagya Dawid, bere a na ɔresi nʼahemfi no.
Solomon sent this message to King Hiram of Tyre [city]: “[Many years ago] when my father David was building his palace, you sent to him cedar logs. Will you send me cedar logs, too?
4 Merebesi Asɔredan ahyɛ Awurade, me Nyankopɔn din anuonyam. Ɛbɛyɛ baabi bi a wɔayi asi hɔ sɛ wɔnhyew nnuhuam ne kurobow wɔ nʼanim, nna afɔrebɔde brodo sononko no adi, na wɔmmɔ ɔhyew afɔre ahorow homeda biara, anɔpa ne anwummere, Ɔsram Foforo biara afahyɛ ahorow ne Awurade yɛn Nyankopɔn nnapɔnna biara. Ɔno na wahyɛ Israel sɛ wɔnyɛ saa nneɛma yi daa daa.
“We are about to build a temple where we will worship Yahweh our God. We want to dedicate it to be a place where we will burn fragrant incense to [honor] him, and a place to put loaves of sacred bread, and for making sacrifices every morning and every evening and every Sabbath day, and to celebrate on the day of every new moon and at other special religious festivals to [honor] Yahweh our God. We want to do those things forever, like Yahweh has commanded.
5 “Eyi bɛyɛ Asɔredan a ɛso na ɛyɛ fɛ, efisɛ yɛn Nyankopɔn no yɛ ɔnwonwani a ɔso kyɛn ɔfoforo biara.
[We want] this temple [to] be a great temple, because our God is greater than all other gods.
6 Hena na obetumi asi ofi a ɛfata ama no? Ɔsorosoro mpo ntumi nkora no. Na me sɛɛ ne hena a mesi asɔredan ama no? Nea metumi ayɛ ara ne sɛ mesi baabi a wɔbɛbɔ afɔre ama no.
But no one can really build a temple that would be big enough for God [to live in], because even the highest heavens are not big enough for him. And I am worthy only to build a place where we can burn sacrifices to him.
7 “Enti ma me odwumfo a ne nsa ano adwuma yɛ fɛ a obetumi de sikakɔkɔɔ, dwetɛ, kɔbere mfrafrae ne nnade adi adwinni; obi a onim sɛnea wɔhyɛ ntama aduru ma ɛyɛ bibiri, kɔkɔɔ ne tuntum ma ɛyɛ fɛ yiye ne sika dwumfo a wakwadaw adwuma mu, a ɔne Yuda ne Yerusalem adwumfo a mʼagya Dawid yii wɔn no bɛyɛ adwuma.
Therefore, please send me a man who knows well how to make things from gold and silver and bronze and iron, and to make things from purple and red and blue cloth. He should also know well how to engrave designs. I want him to work in Jerusalem and in other places in Judah with my skilled craftsmen, the ones whom my father David appointed.
8 “Afei, fa sida, ɔpepaw ne ɔbako nnua fi Lebanon brɛ me, efisɛ, minim sɛ wo mmarima no akyi no, obi nni hɔ wɔ nnuabu mu; na mɛsoma me mmarima na wɔabɛboa wɔn.
I know that your workers are skilled in cutting timber, so also please send me cedar logs, pine logs, and juniper logs from the Lebanon mountains. My workers will work with your workers.
9 Asɔredan a merebesi no kɛse ne ne fɛ a ɛbɛyɛ nti, nnua bebree ho behia me.
In that way, those workers will provide me with plenty of lumber. [We will need plenty, ] because I want the temple that we will build to be large and beautiful.
10 Mede atoko susukoraa mpem aduonu, nsa gyare mpem aduonu ne du ne ngo mpem aduonu betua wo mmarima no ka.”
I will pay your workers, the men who cut the logs, 100,000 bushels of ground wheat, 100,000 bushels of barley, 110,000 gallons of wine, and 110,000 gallons of olive oil.”
11 Ɛnna ɔhene Huram kyerɛw saa mmuae yi de kɔmaa Salomo: “Esiane sɛ Awurade dɔ ne nkurɔfo nti na ɔde wo asi wɔn so hene.
[When] Hiram [received that message, he] replied by sending this message to Solomon: “Because Yahweh loves his people, he has appointed you to be their king.”
12 “Nhyira nka Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn a ɔbɔɔ ɔsoro ne asase! Wama Dawid ɔba nyansafo a wadom no adwene ne ntease a obesi Asɔredan ama Awurade ne ahemfi ama nʼankasa ho.
[And Hiram added, ] “Praise Yahweh, the God to whom the Israeli people belong, the one who created the sky and the earth! He has given King David a wise son, one who is very smart/intelligent and who has good skill and understanding. He wants to build a temple for Yahweh and a palace for himself.
13 “Merebrɛ wo odwumfo a ne nsa ano adwuma yɛ fɛ a wɔfrɛ no Huram-Abi. Ɔyɛ onyansafo ankasa
“I will be sending to you Huram-Abi, a man who is very skilled.
14 a ɔyɛ ɔbea bi a ofi Dan a ɛwɔ Israel babarima; nʼagya nso fi Tiro. Ɔyɛ sikakɔkɔɔ, dwetɛ, kɔbere mfrafrae ne nnade dwumfo ankasa. Na ɔwɔ abotwa, nnua adwinni ne ntamanwen ho nyansa nso. Ɔyɛ ɔbenfo wɔ ntama bibiri, tuntum ne kɔkɔɔ hyɛ mu. Na otumi de sirikyitam di dwuma nso. Afei nso, ɔyɛ sika dwumfo a otumi di adwinni biara a wɔde ma no. Ɔne wʼadwumfo ne wɔn a me wura Dawid a ɔyɛ wʼagya no yii wɔn no bɛyɛ adwuma.
His mother was from the tribe of Dan, and his father was from [here in] Tyre. He is very able to make things from gold and silver and bronze and iron and stone and wood, but he also makes nice things from purple and blue and red cloth, and he does all kinds of engraving. He can make things using any design/pattern that you give to him. He will work with your craftsmen, and the craftsmen who did work for your father, King David.
15 “Fa atoko, ngo ne nsa a wokaa ho asɛm no bra.
“Now please send us the wheat and barley and olive oil and wine that you promised to send to us.
16 Nnua biara a ɛho hia no, yebetwa afi Lebanon mmepɔw so, na yɛde ayɛ mpata agu asu ani, fi Ntam Po no mpoano akosi Yopa. Na efi hɔ no, wubetumi de akɔ Yerusalem.”
When you do that, my workers will cut from trees in the Lebanon mountains all the logs that you need [and bring them down to the sea]. Then we will [tie the logs together to] form rafts with them, and float them in the sea to Joppa [city]. From there, you [can arrange for] them [to be] taken up to Jerusalem.
17 Salomo kan ahɔho dodow a wɔwɔ Israel asase so, te sɛ nea nʼagya kenkan nnipa no. Onyaa nnipa mpem ɔha aduonum abiɛsa ne ahansia.
Solomon told his workers to count all the people from other countries who were living in Israel, similar to what his father David had done. There were 153,600 of them.
18 Ɔmaa wɔn mu mpem aduɔson yɛɛ apaafo. Wɔn mu mpem aduɔwɔtwe yɛɛ abotwafo wɔ wɔn mmepɔw nkurow no so, na wɔn mu mpem abiɛsa ne ahansia yɛɛ wɔn a wodi nnwuma no anim.
Solomon assigned 70,000 of them to carry materials, and 80,000 to cut stone [from quarries in] the hills, and 3,600 of them to supervise the others and be sure that they worked steadily.
