2 IZikhronike 2

2 ¹USolomoni wanquma ukwakha indlu yegama likaBaba wethu, nesigodlo sobukhosi sakhe yena. ²USolomoni wamisa abathwali abangu-70 000, nabaqophi bamatshe abangu-80 000 ezintabeni, nababonisi abangu-3 600 phezu kwabo.

³USolomoni wathumela kuHuramu inkosi yaseThire, wathi: “Yenza kimi njengoba wenza kubaba uDavida, lapho wamthumelela imisedari ukuba akhe indlu yakhe yokuhlala. ⁴Ngakha indlu yegama likaBaba, ukuze ngiyingcwelisele yena—ukushisa impepho enuka kamnandi phambi kwakhe, ukubeka isinkwa sokuBekwa phambi kwakhe njalo, ukunikela ngeminikelo yokushiswa ekuseni nakusihlwa, ngamasabatha, nasekuthwaseni kwezinyanga, nasemikhosini emisiwe kaBaba wethu. U-Israyeli umelwe ukwenza lokhu kuze kube phakade. ^a a v4 Isinkwa sokuBekwa: izinkwa zenkonzo ezazihlala zibekiwe njalo phambi kukaNkulunkulu endaweni engcwele engaphakathi.

⁵Indlu engiyakhayo iyoba nkulu, ngokuba uBaba wethu mkhulu kunabo bonke onkulunkulu. ⁶Kodwa ngubani ongammakhela indlu, lapho izulu namazulu aphezulu kunawo wonke engenakumqukatha? Pho mina ngingubani ukuba ngimakhele indlu, ngaphandle kokushisa iminikelo phambi kwakhe?

⁷Manje ngithumelela ingcweti enekhono legolide, nesiliva, nethusi, nensimbi, nendwangu ensomi, nebomvu klebhu, neluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka, nekhono lokuqopha, ukuba isebenze nezisebenzi zami ezinekhono zakoJuda naseJerusalema, ezalungiselelwa ubaba uDavida.

⁸Ngithumelela futhi imisedari, nemisiphresi, nemisandali ebomvu evela eLebanoni, ngokuba ngiyazi ukuthi izinceku zakho zinekhono lokugawula imithi yaseLebanoni; izinceku zami ziyohlanganyela nezakho. ⁹Ngilungiselela imithi eminingi, ngokuba indlu engiyakhayo iyoba nkulu futhi imangalise. ¹⁰Izinceku zakho ezigawula imithi ngizozinika cishe amabhusheli angu-125 000 kakolweni ogxotshiwe, nebhali elingu-125 000, newayini elingamagaloni angu-115 000, namafutha angu-115 000.”

¹¹UHuramu inkosi yaseThire wabhalela uSolomoni, wathi: “Ngenxa yokuba uSimakade ethanda abantu bakhe, ukwenze waba yinkosi yabo.” ¹²UHuramu wathi: “Makabongwe uSimakade, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, umenzi wezulu nomhlaba! Unike inkosi uDavida indodana ehlakaniphile enokuqonda nokuqondisisa, ukuba akhele uSimakade indlu, azakhele nesigodlo sobukhosi.

¹³Manje ngikuthumela ingcweti enekhono, ephiwe ukuqonda, uHuramu-abi, ¹⁴indodana yowesifazane wamadodakazi akwaDani, uyise eyindoda yaseThire—enekhono legolide, nesiliva, nethusi, nensimbi, netshe, nokhuni, nendwangu ensomi, neluhlaza, nebomvu klebhu, nelineni elicolekileyo. Ingakwenza konke ukuqopha, iphethe nanoma yimuphi umklamo ewunikwayo, isebenza nezingcweti zakho nezenkosi yami uDavida, uyihlo.

¹⁵Ngakho inkosi yami mayithumele izinceku zayo ukolweni, nebhali, namafutha, newayini eyakuthembisayo, ¹⁶thina siyogawula yonke imithi oyidingayo eLebanoni, siyintwezise kuwe njengamapulango ngolwandle size eJopha, bese wena uyikhuphulela eJerusalema.”

¹⁷USolomoni wababala bonke abafokazi ababehlala ezweni lakwa-Israyeli, njengoba naye uyise uDavida ayenzile; babalelwa ku-153 600. ¹⁸Wenza abangu-70 000 baba ngabathwali, nabangu-80 000 baba ngabaqophi bamatshe ezintabeni, nabangu-3 600 baba ngababonisi ukuba baqhubeke besebenzisa abantu.