1 Kings 9

9 ¹Wen Solomon finish to build our Papa house, di king palace, and everything wey e wan do, ²our Papa show imsef to am di second time, di same way e bin show imsef to am for Gibeon.

³And our Papa tell am say, “I don hear di prayer and di beg wey you make for my front. I don set apart dis house wey you build, make I put my name dia forever; my eyes and my heart go dey dia always. ⁴You—if you waka for my front di way your papa David waka, wit your whole heart and true-true, dey do everything wey I command and dey keep my law and my rule, ⁵I go make your king throne stand strong ontop Israel forever, as I promise David your papa say: ‘Man no go ever lack to sidon ontop Israel throne.’

⁶“But if you or your pikin dem turn comot from me, no keep di command and law wey I give una, and go serve oda gods and worship dem, ⁷I go cut Israel comot from di land wey I give dem, and I go throway from my front dis temple wey I set apart for my name; Israel go turn to something wey people go dey talk and dey laugh among all di people dem. ⁸Dis house go turn to rubbish; people wey dey pass go shock and go dey hiss, dey ask, ‘Wetin make Oga do dis kind thing to dis land and dis house?’ ⁹Dem go talk say, ‘Na because dem comot lef Oga dem God, wey bring dem papa-papa comot from di land of Egypt, and dem hold oda gods, bow to dem, and serve dem—na why Oga bring all dis wahala come ontop dem.’”

Solomon Cities, im Labour, and im Ships

¹⁰Afta twenty years, Solomon don build di two houses—our Papa house and di king palace. ¹¹Hiram king of Tyre bin supply Solomon cedar wood, cypress wood, and gold wey e want; King Solomon give Hiram twenty towns for Galilee. ¹²Hiram comot from Tyre come see di towns wey Solomon give am, but dem no sweet am. ¹³E ask, “Wetin be dis kind towns wey you give me, my broda?” So e call dem di land of Cabul, wey still be dem name till today. ^a a v13 Cabul dey sound like di Hebrew word for “like nothing” or “worthless” — na so Hiram talk am plain about di towns. ¹⁴Hiram bin send di king like four tonnes of gold.

¹⁵Na dis be di record of di forced labour wey King Solomon gada to build our Papa house, im palace, di Millo, Jerusalem wall, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. ¹⁶Pharaoh king of Egypt bin go up, capture Gezer, burn am, kill di Canaanite people wey dey stay dia, and give am as dowry to im pikin, wey be Solomon wife. ¹⁷So Solomon build Gezer back, and Lower Beth-horon, ¹⁸Baalath, and Tamar for di wilderness, inside di land, ¹⁹and all Solomon store cities, di cities for im chariots and im horse-riders, and anything wey e wan build for Jerusalem, Lebanon, and all di land wey e dey rule. ²⁰All di people wey remain from di Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, wey no be Israel people. ²¹Solomon gada dem pikin-pikin wey remain afta dem for di land, wey Israel no fit destroy finish, make dem do forced labour—as e still dey be till today. ²²Solomon no make any Israel person slave; na im soldiers, im servants, im officials, im commanders, im captains, and di commanders of im chariots and im horse-riders dem be. ²³Na dis be Solomon chief officers wey dey ontop di work: 550 wey dey oversee di workers.

²⁴Wen Pharaoh pikin move comot from di City of David go di house wey Solomon build for am, na den e build di Millo.

²⁵Three times for one year, Solomon dey offer burnt offering and peace offering ontop di altar wey e build for our Papa, dey burn incense for im front wit di offerings. So e finish di house.

²⁶King Solomon build ships too for Ezion-geber, wey dey near Eloth for di shore of di Red Sea, for di land of Edom. ²⁷Hiram send im servants wit di ships, sailors wey sabi di sea well, to join Solomon servants. ²⁸Dem sail go Ophir, carry like sixteen tonnes of gold from dia, and bring am give King Solomon.