The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
1 Samuel 1English
1 Samuwele 1African Kalanga
- English1
There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
African KalangaKwakati ntolo kukabe kuna mmwe nlume we Ramataimu Zofimu mu shango ye matombo e Ifureimi, we zina lakabe liyi Elikana nkololo wa Jerohamu, Jerohamu ali nkololo wa Elihu, Elihu ali nkololo wa Tohu, Tohu ali nkololo wa Zufu we N'ifureimi.
- English2
He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
African KalangaElikana wakabe ana bakadzi babili, mmwe edang'wa Hana, mmwe kuyi Penina. Penina wakabe ana bana, koga Hana asina bana.
- English3
Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord.
African KalangaGole ne gole nlume iwoyu wakabe edwa mu nzi wa kanyi kwabo etathila ku Shilo enonamata ne pisila Yahwe Ndzimu Masimbawose zwibhayilo, ikoko kwakabe kuna bana ba Eli babili bali bapirisiti ba Yahwe, Hofuni na Finihasi.
- English4
Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.
African KalangaKwakabe kuti zhuba ha laswika lekuti Elikana apise tjibhayilo, wakabe edusa mitezho ye nyama epa nkadzi uwe Penina ne bakololo ne bakololokadzi babe bose.
- English5
But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb.
African KalangaKoga se akabe eda nkadzi uwe Hana, wakabe empa ntezho uwe kabili, nenguba Yahwe bakabe bannyima mbeleko.
- English6
And because the Lord had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.
African KalangaNgono nlongwana uwe wakabe egala entanga ngoti Yahwe bakannyima mbeleko.
- English7
This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.
African KalangaKwakadwilila kwakajalo gole ne gole. Wakabe eti ha eyenda ku Ng'umba ya Yahwe, nlongwana uwe wakabe entanga kudzina elila ebuya elamwa zojiwa.
- English8
Elkanah her husband would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”
African KalangaNlume wa Hana, Elikana wakabe esondwa eti, “Hana, apa unolilani kene? Ini usingaje kene? Wakashobeswa moyo ngeni kene? Apa anditokugadzamoyo kupinda bakololo bali gumi kene?”
- English9
Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s temple.
African KalangaKwakati bali mu Shilo, bapedza kuja ne kung'wa, Hana kamilika. Ipapo mpirisiti Eli wakabe ali gele tjigalo pa whunde ne phanda ye nkoba we Ng'umba ya Yahwe.
- African Kalanga
Nge kuwha zogwadza, Hana kalila kwazo, ngono katembezela kuna Yahwe.
- English11
And she made a vow, saying, “O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”
African KalangaNdizo katuna kati, “Imwi Yahwe Ndzimu Masimbawose, ha mabe mungalinga kudziyidzika kwe nlandakadzi wenyu, ngono mukandikumbula, mukasikangang'we nlandakadzi wenyu, koga mukapa nlandakadzi wenyu mwana we tjilisana, ipapo ndowompa Yahwe butjilo gugwe gose, ngono akuna lupando gunowontesela mu nsholo uwe.”
- African Kalanga
Wakati akadwilila etembezela mbeli kwa Yahwe, Eli wakabe akalingisisa nlomo uwe.
- English13
Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk
African KalangaHana wakabe etembezelela mu moyo, milomo iye izunguzika, koga whi lile lisingawhike, ndizo Eli kakumbula kuti wakalaladza.
- African Kalanga
Ngono kambhuzwa eti, “Apa kowodza kukabe lini wakalaladzazo kene? Thubukana ne nkumbi uwo iwoyo!”
- English15
“Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord.
African KalangaKoga Hana kan'dabila eti, “Akuzojalo tetshi wangu, imi ndi nkadzi wakadziyidzika kwazo, andizotongo ng'wa nkumbi we zhambi nakuto guli busukwa dumbu, ndadusila Yahwe meya yangu.
- English16
Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”
African KalangaMusitole nlandakadzi wenyu se nkadzi usi we tjimwe, tjinga kwandatembezela nge shungu nenge kuwha zogwadza kukulu kwazo kuswikila ngwenu.”
- English17
Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”
African KalangaEli kan'dabila eti, “Yenda nge mbakiso, Ndzimu we Iziraela ukupe tjaunokumbila muuli.”
- English18
She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.
African KalangaHana kadabila eti, “Dzene tshene mungabe ne ngoni mu nlandakadzi wenyu.” Ipapo nkadzi iwoyo kayendazwe, kaja, ne buso gugwe gwakashaladuka asitji mu kuwha zogwadza.
- English19
Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.
African KalangaTjimuka mangwanana Elikana ne be nsha uwe bakanamata Yahwe, kudwa ipapo bakabgwilila kanyi kwabo ku Rama. Elikana kawalilana ne nkadzi uwe Hana, ngono Yahwe bakankumbula.
- English20
So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”
African KalangaKuyenda nge tjibaka Hana kazwisenga kawana mwana we tjilisana kantumila zina eti Samuele, edwa kuti, “Ndakankumbila kuna Yahwe.”
- English21
When the man Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow,
African KalangaNlume iwoyo Elikana ne nsha uwe bakayenda ku Shilo kunopisila Yahwe zwibhayilo zwe gole ne kunoshingikadza kutuna kukwe.
- English22
Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always.”
African KalangaKoga Hana kasiyende, kadwa nlume kati, “Kowoti mwana asinopkhwisiwa, ndowontola anon'yisa kuna Yahwe, ngono unowogalako tjatjose.”
- English23
“Do what seems best to you,” Elkanah her husband told her. “Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good his word.” So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.
African KalangaNlume uwe Elikana kanshandula eti, “Thama tjaunobona tjakakululwamila, galazo kuswikila umpkhwisa. Koga Yahwe bashingikadze dama labo.” Ndizo Hana wakagala mu nzi elela mwana uwe kuswikila empkhwisa.
- English24
After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh.
African KalangaKwakati asinobe ampkhwisa, atji ntikinini kantola kayenda naye, akatakula nkong'wana we makole matatu akasenga whomo ye bgwisa gwe tjiwunga ne gukhwa le nkumbi we zhambi, kan'yisa ku Ng'umba ya Yahwe ku Shilo.
- African Kalanga
Ndizo bakabhaya nkong'wana, bakayisa mwana kuna Eli.
- English26
and she said to him, “As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord.
African KalangaNgono Hana kadwa Eli kati, “Tetshi wangu! Se mutjatjila tetshi wangu, ndimi nkadzi wakabe alimile ipapa mbeli kwenyu, nditembezela Yahwe.
- African Kalanga
Ndakatembezela ndikumbila mwana iwoyu, ngono Yahwe bakandipa tjandakakumbila mubali.
- English28
So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.
African KalangaNdizo imi ndampila kuna Yahwe, butjilo gugwe gose unowobe wa Yahwe.” Ngono bakanamata Yahwe ikoko.
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.