The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
1 Kings 17English
1 Bomambo 17African Kalanga
- English1
Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.”
African KalangaNlebesambeli Elija we N'tishibhe mu Giliyadi Kadwa Mambo Ahabu kati, “Mu zina la Yahwe Ndzimu unotjila we Iziraela, wandinoshingila, akutowobe ne khawa kene vula inona kwe makole matatu kuzhe kwe ndaleba.”
- African Kalanga
Dama la Yahwe likazha kakale ku nlebesambeli Elija liti,
- African Kalanga
“Milika ipapa utendebukile ku bhezhuba, unobgwata mu Nkuku we Kherithi, ku bhezhuba kwe gwizi gwe Jorodani.
- African Kalanga
Unong'wa vula mu nkuku, ngono ndalaula makungubo kuti akupe zojiwa.”
- English5
So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there.
African KalangaElija kathama tjaadwiwa ndi Yahwe, kanogala pa Nkuku we Kherithi ku bhezhuba kwe gwizi gwe Jorodani.
- English6
The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
African KalangaMakungubo kanzhisila tjiwunga ne nyama mangwanana ne madekwana, eng'wa vula mu nkuku.
- African Kalanga
Shule kwe mazhuba nkuku ukapkhwa, ngobe vula yakabe isingane mu shango.
- African Kalanga
Dama la Yahwe likazha kakale ku nlebesambeli Elija liti,
- English9
“Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food.”
African Kalanga“Milika ngwenu, uyende ku Zarefati we Sidoni unogala ko. Bona, ndalaula tjilikadzi ikweno kuti ikupe zojiwa.”
- English10
So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?”
African KalangaNdizo Elija kamilika kayenda ku Zarefati, ngono kati eswika pa nkoba we nzi nkulu, bona, kawana tjilikadzi ishaka whuni. Ngono kaidwa kati, “Ndokumbila vula inong'wiwa.”
- African Kalanga
Ngono kukati tjilikadzi itjayenda kunotola vula, kaidana kati, “Mundizhile ne tjiwunga.”
- English12
“As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread–only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it–and die.”
African KalangaNgono tjilikadzi ikandabila iti, “Ndotuna na Yahwe, Ndzimu uwo unotjila, andina tjandabhika, ndina bgwisa mu tjilongo gungapelela mu luboko ne mafuta asimuni mu ikuyu. Ndawoshaka whuni ipapa, kuti ndinobhika ndipeleledza ndibe ndija ne nkololo wangu. Zowobe zwili izo zojiwa zwedu zwe bupelo, towobe togala zhala kudzina tifa.”
- English13
Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.
African KalangaNgono Elija kadwa tjilikadzi kati, “Usitje, yenda unothama sekwa waleba, koga kutanga ubhikile imi tjiwunga tjitukununu muna kwaunako, ndiko ukowozwibhikila ne nkololo uwo.
- English14
For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land.’”
African KalangaNgoti Yahwe, Ndzimu we Iziraela baleba beti, ‘Bgwisa gumu tjilongo agutowopela, ne mafuta amu ikuyu angamiminike, kudzina zhuba liswika Yahwe benisa vula mu shango.’ ”
- English15
She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.
African KalangaTjilikadzi yakayenda ikanothama sekwa yadwiwa ndi Elija, ngono iye na Elija ne be nsha uwe bakabe ne zojiwa zwabakaja mazhuba manjinji.
- English16
For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
African KalangaBgwisa gukasipele mu tjilongo ne mafuta kasimiminike mu ikuyu, kuyendidzana ne dama la Yahwe labakaleba betuma Elija.
- English17
Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing.
African KalangaShule kwe mazhuba nkololo we tjilikadzi iyeyi mweni we ng'umba, kagwala, bugwele gukantshambilidza kapela meya.
- English18
She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”
African KalangaTjilikadzi ikadwa Elija ikati, “Apa unogwilani nami nthu we Ndzimu? Wakazha pandili kuwondikumbuludza tjibi tjangu ne kuthama kuti nkololo wangu afe kene?”
- English19
“Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed.
African KalangaElija kandwa kati, “Undipe nkololo uwo.” Ngono katola mbisana pa ifuba tja mmeyabe, katathila naye ku ng'umba ipezhugwi kwaakabe egala, kaswika eladzika mbisana pa bulawo gugwe.
- English20
Then he cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?”
African KalangaKamilidzila whi lile kuna Yahwe etembezela eti, “Imwi Yahwe Ndzimu wangu, apa mazhisa zogwadza zwingapa mu nkadzi iwoyu we tjilikadzi wandigele panli ngobulaya mwana uwe kene?”
- English21
Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”
African KalangaIpapo Elija katshibama pezhugwi kwe mwana katatu, kamimilila kuna Yahwe etembezela eti, “Imwi Yahwe Ndzimu wangu, ndokumbila kuti meya ye mwana uwoyu ibgwilile munli.”
- African Kalanga
Ngono Yahwe bakateedza whi la Elija, meya ye mwana ikabgwilila munli, akathudza.
- English23
Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!”
African KalangaElija katola mwana kadelukila naye ku ng'umba ipasi, kayisa mbisana kuna mmeyabe, kabadwa kati, “Bona, nkololo uwo unotjila.”
- English24
Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”
African KalangaNgono nkadzi kadwa Elija kati, “Ngwenu ndoziba kuti u nthu we Ndzimu ne kuti dama linodwa mu nlomo uwo malebeswa, i dama la Yahwe.”
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.