The Lord Appears to Solomon
1When Solomon had finished building the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, 2the Lord appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3The Lord said to him:
“I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
4“As for you, if you walk before me faithfully with integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, 5I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’
6“But if you9:6 The Hebrew is plural. or your descendants turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you9:6 The Hebrew is plural. and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 7then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 8This temple will become a heap of rubble. All9:8 See some Septuagint manuscripts, Old Latin, Syriac, Arabic and Targum; Hebrew And though this temple is now imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 9People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.’ ”
Solomon’s Other Activities
10At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built these two buildings—the temple of the Lord and the royal palace— 11King Solomon gave twenty towns in Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, because Hiram had supplied him with all the cedar and juniper and gold he wanted. 12But when Hiram went from Tyre to see the towns that Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them. 13“What kind of towns are these you have given me, my brother?” he asked. And he called them the Land of Kabul,9:13 Kabul sounds like the Hebrew for good-for-nothing. a name they have to this day. 14Now Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents9:14 That is, about 4 1/2 tons or about 4 metric tons of gold.
15Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord’s temple, his own palace, the terraces,9:15 Or the Millo; also in verse 24 the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer. 16(Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire. He killed its Canaanite inhabitants and then gave it as a wedding gift to his daughter, Solomon’s wife. 17And Solomon rebuilt Gezer.) He built up Lower Beth Horon, 18Baalath, and Tadmor9:18 The Hebrew may also be read Tamar. in the desert, within his land, 19as well as all his store cities and the towns for his chariots and for his horses9:19 Or charioteers—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.
20There were still people left from the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (these peoples were not Israelites). 21Solomon conscripted the descendants of all these peoples remaining in the land—whom the Israelites could not exterminate9:21 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.—to serve as slave labor, as it is to this day. 22But Solomon did not make slaves of any of the Israelites; they were his fighting men, his government officials, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and charioteers. 23They were also the chief officials in charge of Solomon’s projects—550 officials supervising those who did the work.
24After Pharaoh’s daughter had come up from the City of David to the palace Solomon had built for her, he constructed the terraces.
25Three times a year Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord, burning incense before the Lord along with them, and so fulfilled the temple obligations.
26King Solomon also built ships at Ezion Geber, which is near Elath in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea.9:26 Or the Sea of Reeds 27And Hiram sent his men—sailors who knew the sea—to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s men. 28They sailed to Ophir and brought back 420 talents9:28 That is, about 16 tons or about 14 metric tons of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.
Bwana Anamtokea Solomoni
(2 Nyakati 7:11-22)
19:1 Neh 9:2; Mwa 19:38; Kum 20:17; Amu 3:5; Kum 12:30Solomoni alipomaliza kujenga Hekalu la Bwana na jumba la kifalme, alipokwisha kufanya yote aliyotaka kufanya, 29:2 Law 27:30; Ezr 10:2; 2Kor 6:14; Kut 22:31; Kum 7:3Bwana akamtokea mara ya pili, kama alivyokuwa amemtokea huko Gibeoni. 39:3 Isa 15:2; Za 143:4Bwana akamwambia:
“Nimesikia dua na maombi uliyofanya mbele zangu, nimeliweka wakfu Hekalu hili ambalo umelijenga, kwa kuweka Jina langu humo milele. Macho yangu na moyo wangu utakuwa humo siku zote.
49:4 Za 119:1209:4 Ezr 10:3; Kut 29:39“Kukuhusu wewe, kama ukienenda kwa unyofu wa moyo na uadilifu, kama baba yako Daudi alivyofanya na kutenda yote ninayoyaagiza kwa kutunza maagizo yangu na sheria, 59:5 Kut 9:29; 29:41nitakiimarisha kiti chako cha enzi juu ya Israeli milele kama nilivyomwahidi Daudi baba yako niliposema, ‘Hutakosa kamwe kuwa na mtu kwenye kiti cha enzi cha Israeli.’
69:6 Ufu 18:5; Dan 9:7; Isa 59:12“Lakini kama ninyi au wana wenu mkigeukia mbali nami na kuziacha amri na maagizo yangu niliyowapa na kwenda kuitumikia miungu mingine na kuiabudu, 79:7 2Nya 29:6; Eze 21:1-32; Kum 28:36-64; Za 106:6; 2Nya 19:2; Mwa 18:19basi nitakatilia mbali Israeli kutoka nchi niliyowapa, nami nitalikataa Hekalu hili nililolitakasa kwa ajili ya Jina langu. Ndipo Israeli itakuwa kitu cha kudharauliwa na watu na kuwa kitu cha kudhihakiwa miongoni mwa watu wote. 89:8 Isa 33:2; Za 13:3; Mhu 12:11; Mwa 45:7; Isa 22:23; Za 19:8Ingawa hekalu hili linavutia sasa, wote watakaolipita watashangaa na kudhihaki wakisema, ‘Kwa nini Bwana amefanya kitu kama hiki katika nchi hii na kwa Hekalu hili?’ 99:9 Neh 9:36; Kut 1:14; 2Fal 25:28; Zek 1:16-17; Ezr 7:28Watu watajibu, ‘Kwa sababu wamemwacha Bwana Mungu wao, aliyewatoa baba zao Misri, nao wamekumbatia miungu mingine, wakaiabudu na kuitumikia, ndiyo sababu Bwana ameyaleta maafa haya yote juu yao.’ ”
Shughuli Nyingine Za Solomoni
(2 Nyakati 8)
109:10 Kum 11:8; Isa 1:19-20Miaka ishirini ilipopita, ambayo katika hiyo Solomoni alijenga majengo haya mawili, yaani Hekalu la Bwana na jumba la kifalme, 119:11 Law 18:25-28; Kum 18:9; 1Fal 14:24Mfalme Solomoni akampa Hiramu mfalme wa Tiro miji ishirini katika Galilaya, kwa sababu Hiramu alikuwa amempatia mierezi yote, misunobari na dhahabu yote aliyohitaji. 129:12 Kut 34:15; Kum 7:3; Mit 13:22; Kut 23:32-33; Amu 2:2; 2Pet 2:20; 2Kor 6:14Lakini Hiramu alipotoka Tiro kwenda kuiona ile miji ambayo Solomoni alikuwa amempa, hakupendezwa nayo. 139:13 Ay 15:5; Za 103:10Hiramu akauliza, “Hii ni miji ya namna gani uliyonipa, ndugu yangu?”
Naye akaiita nchi ya Kabul,9:13 Kabul maana yake isiyofaa kitu. jina lililoko hadi leo. 149:14 Kum 9:8-14; Neh 13:27; Yn 5:14Basi Hiramu alikuwa amempelekea mfalme talanta 1209:14 Talanta 120 za dhahabu ni sawa na tani 4.5. za dhahabu.
159:15 Neh 9:33; Za 51:4; Rum 3:19; Isa 24:16; 1Fal 8:47; Dan 9:14; Za 130:3Haya ni maelezo kuhusu kazi za kulazimishwa ambazo Mfalme Solomoni, alivyowafanyiza watu ili kulijenga hekalu la Bwana, na jumba lake la kifalme, na Milo,9:15 Milo maana yake Boma la Ngome, pia 9:24. ukuta wa Yerusalemu, Hazori, Megido na Gezeri. 16(Farao mfalme wa Misri alikuwa ameushambulia na kuuteka mji wa Gezeri. Alikuwa ameuchoma moto. Akawaua Wakanaani waliokuwa wakikaa humo na kisha kuutoa kwa binti yake, yaani mkewe Solomoni, kama zawadi ya arusi. 17Solomoni akaujenga tena Gezeri.) Akajenga Beth-Horoni ya Chini, 18akajenga Baalathi na Tamari kwenye jangwa katika eneo la nchi yake, 19vilevile miji ya ghala na miji kwa ajili ya magari yake na kwa ajili ya farasi wake: chochote alichotaka kujenga katika Yerusalemu, katika Lebanoni, na katika eneo yote aliyotawala.
20Watu wote waliosalia kutoka kwa Waamori, Wahiti, Waperizi, Wahivi na Wayebusi (mataifa haya hayakuwa Waisraeli), 21yaani, wazao wao waliobakia katika nchi, ambao Waisraeli hawangeweza kuwaangamiza kabisa: hawa Solomoni akawalazimisha kuwa watumwa katika shokoa, kama ilivyo hadi leo. 22Lakini Solomoni hakumfanya yeyote wa Waisraeli kuwa mtumwa; wao ndio waliokuwa wapiganaji wake, maafisa wake wa serikali, maafisa wake, wakuu wake, majemadari wa jeshi wa magari yake ya vita na wapanda farasi. 23Pia walikuwa maafisa wakuu wasimamizi wa miradi ya Solomoni: maafisa 550 waliwasimamia watu waliofanya kazi.
24Baada ya binti Farao kuja kutoka Mji wa Daudi na kuingia jumba la kifalme ambalo Solomoni alikuwa amemjengea, akajenga Milo.
25Solomoni akatoa dhabihu za kuteketezwa na sadaka za amani mara tatu kwa mwaka, juu ya madhabahu aliyokuwa amejengea kwa ajili ya Bwana, akifukiza uvumba mbele za Bwana pamoja na dhabihu hizo, hivyo kutimiza kanuni za hekalu.
26Mfalme Solomoni pia akatengeneza pia meli huko Esion-Geberi, ambayo iko karibu na Elathi katika Edomu, kwenye ukingo wa Bahari ya Shamu.9:26 Yaani Bahari Nyekundu au Bahari ya Mafunjo. 27Naye Hiramu akawatuma watu wake; mabaharia walioijua bahari, kuhudumu katika hizo meli pamoja na watu wa Solomoni. 28Wakasafiri kwa bahari mpaka Ofiri na kurudi na talanta 4209:28 Talanta 420 za dhahabu ni sawa na tani 14. za dhahabu, ambazo walimkabidhi Mfalme Solomoni.
