The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Genesis 1English
Kutangisa 1African Kalanga
- African Kalanga
Mu kutangisa Ndzimu wakabumba kudzimu ne shango.
- English2
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
African KalangaShango yakabe yakashangashangana koga isina mbumbiko, zhalima lakabe lakadzinga vula imukatikati, Meya ye Ndzimu yakabe iyendayenda pezhugwi kwe vula.
- African Kalanga
Ndzimu ukabe uti, “Ngakube ne tjedza,” ngono tjedza tjikabe yapo.
- African Kalanga
Ndzimu ukabona tjedza kuti tjakanaka. Ipapo Ndzimu ukapalalanya tjedza ne zhalima.
- English5
God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning–the first day.
African KalangaNgono Ndzimu ukadana tjedza uti, “Masikati,” zhalima ukalidana uti, “Busiku.” Kukabe ne madekwana kukabuya kukabe ne mangwanana, zhuba le kutanga.
- African Kalanga
Ndzimu ukabe uti, “Ngakube ne zhuzhugwi pakati kwe vula, ngalipalalanye vula ne vula.”
- English7
So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so.
African KalangaNdizo Ndzimu ukathama zhuzhugwi, ukapalalanya vula yakabe ili kusi kwe zhuzhugwi ne vula yakabe ili pezhugwi kwe zhuzhugwi. Ngono kukashingikala saikoko.
- African Kalanga
Ndzimu ukadana zhuzhugwi uti, “Kudzimu.” Kukabe ne madekwana kukabuya kukabe ne mangwanana, zhuba le bubili.
- English9
And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.
African KalangaNdzimu ukabe uti, “Vula ikusi kwe zhuzhugwi ngaikubunganile pathu pang'ompela, kuti pasi pakawoma paboneke.” Ngono kukashingikala saikoko.
- English10
God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
African KalangaNdzimu ukadana pasi pakawoma uti, “Shango” vula yakubunganila pathu pang'ompela ukaidana uti, “Gungwa.” Ngono Ndzimu ukabona kuti kwakanaka.
- English11
Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.
African KalangaNdzimu ukabe uti, “Shango ngaimele miti. Ngakube ne miti inozwala mbewu, kube ne miti ye mitjelo nge njudzi dzayo mu shango, izwale mitjelo ina mbewu muili.” Ngono kukashingikala saikoko.
- English12
The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
African KalangaShango ikamela njudzi dzose dze zwinomela, miti ina mbewu nge njudzi dzayo ne miti inozwala mitjelo ina mbewu nge njudzi dzayo. Ndzimu ukabona kuti kwakanaka.
- African Kalanga
Kukabe ne madekwana kukabuya kukabe ne mangwanana, zhuba le butatu.
- English14
And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years,
African KalangaNdzimu ukabe uti, “Ngakube ne mavone pezhugwi mu zhuzhugwi kuthubukanya masikati ne busiku, ngono abe zwilakidzo zwe zwibaka ne zwe mazhuba ne makole.
- English15
and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.
African KalangaNgaabe mavone a pezhugwi mu zhuzhugwi anovoneka shango.” Ngono kukashingikala saikoko.
- English16
God made two great lights–the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
African KalangaNdzimu ukathama mavone makulu ali mabili. Luvone lukulu pa gumwe gukabe gunolaula masikati, lutukunu gukabe gunolaula busiku, kakale ukathama nyenyedzi.
- African Kalanga
Ndzimu ukadziyisa zhuzhugwi kuvoneka shango,
- English18
to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.
African Kalangane kuthubukanya tjedza ne zhalima. Ndzimu ukabona kuti kwakanaka.
- African Kalanga
Kukabe ne madekwana kukabuya kukabe ne mangwanana, zhuba le bunna.
- English20
And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”
African KalangaNdzimu ukabe uti, “Vula ngaibe ne zwibumbiwa zwinotjila zwinoyendayenda ne nyuni ngadziwuluke pezhugwi kwe shango mu zhuzhugwi.”
- English21
So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
African KalangaNdizo Ndzimu ukabe ubumba mazhithu makulu e gungwa ne zwimwe zwitjili zwinoyendayenda zwinonyewula mu gungwa nge njudzi dzadzo ne nyuni dzose nge njudzi dzadzo. Ndzimu ukabona kuti kwakanaka.
- English22
God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”
African KalangaNdzimu ukadzikombolela ukati, “Ibeni ne zwizwalo muwande muzhale vula dze gungwa ne nyuni ngadziwande mu shango.”
- African Kalanga
Kukabe ne madekwana kukabuya kukabe ne mangwanana, zhuba le bushanu.
- English24
And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.
African KalangaNdzimu ukabe uti, “Shango ngaibe ne zwibumbiwa zwinotjila zwe njudzi dzose, zwithuwo ne zwinokambayila ne phuka dze shango nge njudzi dzadzo.” Ngono kukashingikala saikoko.
- English25
God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
African KalangaNdzimu ukathama phuka dze shango nge njudzi dzadzo ne zwithuwo nge njudzi dzazo ne tjimwe ne tjimwe tjinokambayila mu shango nge ludzi gwatjo. Ndzimu ukabona kuti kwakanaka.
- English26
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
African KalangaNdzimu ukabe uti, “Ngatithameni bathu mu ifano tjedu, bange iswi. Ngono ngabalaule whobe dze gungwa ne nyuni dzinowuluka mu phepo ne zwithuwo ne shango yose ne tjimwe ne tjimwe tjinokambayila mu shango.”
- English27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
African KalangaNdizo Ndzimu ukabumba nthu mu ifano tjawo, mu ifano tje Ndzimu ukababumba, ukabumba nthu tjilume ne nthu tjikadzi.
- English28
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
African KalangaNdzimu ukabakombolela ukati ku bali, “Ibeni ne mbeleko muwande muzhale shango muikulile. Mulaule whobe dze gungwa ne nyuni dzinowuluka mu phepo ne itjili tjimwe ne tjimwe tjinoyenda yenda mu shango.”
- English29
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
African KalangaNdzimu ukabe uti, “Bonani, ndamupa nti mmwe ne mmwe una mbewu umu shango yose ne nti mmwe ne mmwe una mitjelo ina mbewu kube zojiwa zwenyu.
- English30
And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground– everything that has the breath of life in it–I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
African KalangaPhuka dzose dze shango ne nyuni dzose dzinowuluka ne tjimwe ne tjimwe tjinokambayila mu shango tjina butjilo, ndazwipa zose zwinomela kube zojiwa.” Ngono kukashingikala saikoko.
- English31
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning–the sixth day.
African KalangaNdzimu ukalinga kose kwawakathama ngono kukabe kwakanaka kwazo. Kukabe ne madekwana kukabuya kukabe ne mangwanana, zhuba le butathatu.
Source: The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible, Ndzimu-unami Emmanuel Moyo, 2026. This online edition was extracted and reformatted from the PDF edition. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.