Asɔredan No Si Ahoboa
1Salomo hyɛɛ sɛ wonsi Awurade Asɔredan ne nʼankasa nʼahemfi. 2Ɔfaa apaafo mpem aduɔson ne abotwafo mpem aduɔwɔtwe fii bepɔw so aman mu ne nnipa mpem abiɛsa ne ahansia a wodi adwuma no anim.
3Salomo de nkra yi kɔmaa Tirohene Huram:
“Brɛ me sida nnua te sɛ nea wɔde brɛɛ mʼagya Dawid, bere a na ɔresi nʼahemfi no. 4Merebesi 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.
5“Eyi bɛyɛ Asɔredan a ɛso na ɛyɛ fɛ, efisɛ yɛn Nyankopɔn no yɛ ɔnwonwani a ɔso kyɛn ɔfoforo biara. 6Hena 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.
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.
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. 9Asɔredan a merebesi no kɛse ne ne fɛ a ɛbɛyɛ nti, nnua bebree ho behia me. 10Mede atoko susukoraa mpem aduonu, nsa gyare mpem aduonu ne du ne ngo mpem aduonu betua wo mmarima no ka.”
11Ɛnna ɔhene Huram kyerɛw saa mmuae yi de kɔmaa Salomo:
“Esiane sɛ Awurade dɔ ne nkurɔfo nti na ɔde wo asi wɔn so hene.
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.
13“Merebrɛ wo odwumfo a ne nsa ano adwuma yɛ fɛ a wɔfrɛ no Huram-Abi. Ɔyɛ onyansafo ankasa 14a 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.
15“Fa atoko, ngo ne nsa a wokaa ho asɛm no bra. 16Nnua 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.”
17Salomo kan ahɔho dodow a wɔwɔ Israel asase so, te sɛ nea nʼagya kenkan nnipa no. Onyaa nnipa mpem ɔha aduonum abiɛsa ne ahansia (153,600). 18Ɔmaa wɔn mu mpem aduɔson (70,000) yɛɛ apaafo. Wɔn mu mpem aduɔwɔtwe (80,000) yɛɛ abotwafo wɔ wɔn mmepɔw nkurow no so, na wɔn mu mpem abiɛsa ne ahansia (3,600) yɛɛ wɔn a wodi nnwuma no anim.
Preparations for Building the Temple
In Hebrew texts 2:1 is numbered 1:18, and 2:2-18 is numbered 2:1-17. 1Solomon gave orders to build a temple for the Name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself. 2He conscripted 70,000 men as carriers and 80,000 as stonecutters in the hills and 3,600 as foremen over them.
3Solomon sent this message to Hiram2:3 Hebrew Huram, a variant of Hiram also in verses 11 and 12 king of Tyre:
“Send me cedar logs as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to live in. 4Now I am about to build a temple for the Name of the Lord my God and to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for setting out the consecrated bread regularly, and for making burnt offerings every morning and evening and on the Sabbaths, at the New Moons and at the appointed festivals of the Lord our God. This is a lasting ordinance for Israel.
5“The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. 6But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?
7“Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers, whom my father David provided.
8“Send me also cedar, juniper and algum2:8 Probably a variant of almug logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber there. My servants will work with yours 9to provide me with plenty of lumber, because the temple I build must be large and magnificent. 10I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, twenty thousand cors2:10 That is, probably about 3,600 tons or about 3,200 metric tons of wheat of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors2:10 That is, probably about 3,000 tons or about 2,700 metric tons of barley of barley, twenty thousand baths2:10 That is, about 120,000 gallons or about 440,000 liters of wine and twenty thousand baths of olive oil.”
11Hiram king of Tyre replied by letter to Solomon:
“Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king.”
12And Hiram added:
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.
13“I am sending you Huram-Abi, a man of great skill, 14whose mother was from Dan and whose father was from Tyre. He is trained to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, and with purple and blue and crimson yarn and fine linen. He is experienced in all kinds of engraving and can execute any design given to him. He will work with your skilled workers and with those of my lord, David your father.
15“Now let my lord send his servants the wheat and barley and the olive oil and wine he promised, 16and we will cut all the logs from Lebanon that you need and will float them as rafts by sea down to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem.”
17Solomon took a census of all the foreigners residing in Israel, after the census his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600. 18He assigned 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working.
