Preparations for Building the Temple
(1 Kings 5.1-18)1 King Solomon decided to build a temple where the Lord would be worshiped, and also to build a palace for himself. 2 He put 70,000 men to work transporting materials, and 80,000 to work cutting stone in the hill country. There were 3,600 others responsible for supervising the work.
3 Solomon sent a message to King Hiram of Tyre: “Do business with me as you did with my father, King David, when you sold him cedar logs for building his palace. 4 I am building a temple to honor the Lord my God. It will be a holy place where my people and I will worship him by burning incense of fragrant spices, where we will present offerings of sacred bread to him continuously, and where we will offer burnt offerings every morning and evening, as well as on Sabbaths, New Moon Festivals, and other holy days honoring the Lord our God. He has commanded Israel to do this forever. 5 I intend to build a great temple, because our God is greater than any other god. 6 Yet no one can really build a temple for God, because even all the vastness of heaven cannot contain him. How then can I build a temple that would be anything more than a place to burn incense to God? 7 Now send me a man with skill in engraving, in working gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in making blue, purple, and red cloth. He will work with the craftsmen of Judah and Jerusalem whom my father David selected. 8 I know how skillful your lumbermen are, so send me cedar, cypress, and juniper logs from Lebanon. I am ready to send my men to assist yours 9 in preparing large quantities of timber, because this temple I intend to build will be large and magnificent. 10 As provisions for your lumbermen, I will send you 100,000 bushels of wheat, 100,000 bushels of barley, 110,000 gallons of wine, and 110,000 gallons of olive oil.”
11 King Hiram sent Solomon a letter in reply. He wrote, “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king. 12 Praise the Lord God of Israel, Creator of heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, full of understanding and skill, who now plans to build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself. 13 I am sending you a wise and skillful master metalworker named Huram. 14 His mother was a member of the tribe of Dan and his father was a native of Tyre. He knows how to make things out of gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood. He can work with blue, purple, and red cloth, and with linen. He can do all sorts of engraving and can follow any design suggested to him. Let him work with your skilled workers and with those who worked for your father, King David. 15 So now send us the wheat, barley, wine, and olive oil that you promised. 16 In the mountains of Lebanon we will cut down all the cedars you need, tie them together in rafts, and float them by sea as far as Joppa. From there you can take them to Jerusalem.”
Construction of the Temple Begins
(1 Kings 6.1-38)17 King Solomon took a census of all the foreigners living in the land of Israel, similar to the census his father David had taken. There were 153,600 resident foreigners. 18 He assigned 70,000 of them to transport materials and 80,000 to cut stones in the mountains, and appointed 3,600 supervisors to make sure the work was done.
Salomo ta udafana naHiram Etungo lotembeli
1 Ndele Salomo okwe liudanekela okutungila edina lOmwene otembeli, nongulu youhamba. 2 Ndele Salomo okwa vala ovahumbati omayovi omilongo heyali, novatatuli vomamanya omayovi omilongo hetatu vokeemhunda novapashukili vavo omayovi atatu nomafele ahamano. 3 Opo nee Salomo a shiivifila Hiram, ohamba yaTirus, ta ti: “Ngaashi wa ningila tate David, eshi we mu tumina omisederi, ye e litungile ongulu yokukala mo, shi ningile nge yo. 4 Tala, ame ohandi hovele okutungila edina lOmwene, Kalunga kange ongulu, ndi i mu yapulile, opo muyo mu twiminwe koshipala shaye oidimba iwa, nomingome detaliko di kale mo alushe nomaxwikiloyambo a yambwe ongula nonguloshi nomomashabata nopeehani dipe nopomafimbo oivilo yOmwene Kalunga ketu, osho oshinakuwanifwalonga shaalushe shOvaisraeli. 5 Nongulu oyo ame handi ka tunga otai ka ninga inene, osheshi Kalunga ketu Ye omunene, e dule oikalunga aishe. 6 Ndelenee olyelye ta dulu oku mu tungila ongulu? Osheshi omaulu, heeno, eulu lopombadambada tali nyengwa oku mu kwatela mo. Aame omushike hano? Ndi dule oku mu tungila ongulu, okuyamba ashike omayambo koshipala shaye. 7 Tumine nge hano omulumenhu omunongo e shii kulonga oshingoldo noshisiliveli noshikushu noshivela, noilonga yeengodi dapurpuri noditilyana ngaashi ohonde nodomavala, ndele e nounongo okunyola omafano pamwe novanongo ve li pwaame muJuda nomuJerusalem, ovo tate David e va konga. 8 Tumine nge omiti domisederi nodomisipresi nodomisandeli dokuLibanon, osheshi ndi shi shii, ovapiya voye ve shii kuka omiti domuLibanon. Ndele tala, ovapiya vange tava ka kala pamwe novapiya voye, 9 nokutya, va kele nge omiti dihapu, osheshi ongulu oyo handi ke i tunga tai ka ninga inene ndele tai kumwifa. 10 Ndele tala, ngaashi eendja, ame ohandi yandje kovapiya voye oonakuka omiti, oilyavala eetona omayovi avali, nomahangu eetona omayovi avali, nomaviinyu eelita omayovi omafele ane, nomaadi eelita omayovi omafele ane.”
11 Ndele Hiram, ohamba yaTirus, okwa tonga monhumwafo oyo e i tumina Salomo: “Omwene eshi e hole oshiwana shaye, Ye e ku ninga ohamba yasho.” 12 Hiram okwa tya vali: “Omwene Kalunga kaIsrael, ou a ninga eulu nedu, na hambelelwe, eshi a yandja kohamba David omona omulumenhu omunongo, ou e nomayele neendunge a tungile Omwene otembeli ndele a tungile ouhamba waye ongulu. 13 Ame ohandi tumu hano paife omunongo e neendunge, nokutya Huram Abi, 14 ye omona womwalikadi womovana oukadona vomuDan, ndelenee xe omulumenhu Omutirus, ou a shiiva okulonga oshingoldo noshisiliveli noshikushu noshivela nomamanya nomiti neengodi dapurpuri nodomavala noliina iwa neengodi ditilyana ngaashi ohonde. Nokunyola omafano e lili nae lili nokudiladila oilonga younongo, oyo e i pewa e i longe, pamwe novanongo voye novanongo vomwene wange, xo David. 15 Omwene wange na tume hano paife kovapiya vaye oilyavala nomahangu nomaadi nomaviinyu. 16 Ndele fye ohatu ka ka omiti domuLibanon di fike pwaado we di pumbwa, ndele fye ohatu di eta kuJoppa tadi ende mefuta oshipandi. Opo nee ove to dulu oku di twala kuJerusalem.”
17 Ndele Salomo okwa vala ovanailongo aveshe, ovo va li moshilongo shOvaisraeli pamuvalo wavo wa ningwa kuxe David, ndele vo va li omayovi efele nomilongo nhano naatatu nomafele ahamano. 18 Okwa ninga omayovi omilongo heyali vomuvo ovahumbati ndele omayovi omilongo hetatu va ninga ovatatuli vomamanya okeemhunda, na omayovi atatu nomafele ahamano ovalongifi ovo va li ve nokulongifa ovanhu.
