The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
1 Samuel 13English
1 Samuwele 13African Kalanga
- African Kalanga
Saulo wakabe ana makole ali makumi matatu ha etangisa kubusa, ngono kabusa Iziraela makole mabili.
- English2
Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.
African KalangaSaulo wakashalula balume bali zwiwulu zwitatu (3 000) mu Iziraela, bali zwiwulu zwibili (2 000) bakabe banaye ku Mikimashi ne ku shango ye matuthu ye Bhetele, ngono bali tjiwulu (1 000) bakabe bana Jonatani ku Gibiya mu Bhenjamini. Balume bakasala kabashandusila ku mizi yabo.
- English3
Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, “Let the Hebrews hear!”
African KalangaJonatani wakakunda kampa ye babhayani be Bafilisitiya bakabe bali ku Gebha, ngono Bafilisitiya bakawha ngekwako. Ngono Saulo kalidza lunyanga shango yose eti, “Bahebheru ngabawhe!”
- English4
So all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become a stench to the Philistines.” And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
African KalangaNdizo Baiziraela bose bakawha kuti Saulo wakunda mphatho we babhayani be Bafilisitiya, nenge kuti Iziraela yatjibengiwa nge Bafilisitiya. Ngono bathu bakadang'wa kunobhatshana na Saulo ku Giligala.
- English5
The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven.
African KalangaBafilisitiya bakakubunganila kubhayana ne Iziraela, bakabe bana koloyi dze ngwa dzili zwiwulu zwili makumi matatu (30 000) ne batathi be mbizi bali zwiwulu zwili zwitathatu (6 000) ne babhayani banjinji se nsetje umu phili ye gungwa. Bakatathila bakakubungana ku Mikimashi ku bhezhuba kwe Bhetiaveni.
- English6
When the men of Israel saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns.
African KalangaKwakati balume be Iziraela bebona kuti babe mu tjimo tjakamanikana, ngobe bathu bamanikana kwazo, bakabgwata mu makuwhu ne mu mwina ne mu shongwe ne mu zwikumbu ne mu matshime akakopogwa mu shongwe.
- English7
Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear.
African KalangaBamwe Bahebheru ibo bakatjuluka gwizi gwe Jorodani bakayenda ku shango ye Gadi ne Giliyadi. Saulo wakabe atji ku Giligala, ngono bathu bose bakantobela betetema.
- English8
He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter.
African KalangaWakalinda kwe mazhuba ali kutendeka, tjili tjibaka tjakabe tjabigwa ndi Samuele, koga Samuele aazozha ku Giligali, ngono bathu bakatangisa palala.
- English9
So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering.
African KalangaNdizo Saulo kabe eti, “Zhisani tjibhayilo tjinopisiwa ne tjibhayilo tje mbakiso.” Ngono kapisa tjibhayilo tjinopisiwa.
- African Kalanga
Wakati koga epedza kupisa tjibhayilo, Samuele kabe eswika, ngono Saulo kabhuda kunonshanganidza endumilisa.
- English11
“What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash,
African KalangaSamuele kambhuzwa kati, “Apa wathamani kene?” Saulo kadabila eti, “Ndakati ndibona kuti bathu banopalala bendisiya, ne kuti imwi amuzozha nge zhuba lamakabiga, ngono Bafilisitiya bakubungana ku Mikimashi,
- English12
I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
African Kalangaazwidwa ati, ‘Ngwenu Bafilisitiya bawodelukila kundili ku Giligala, ngono andizokumbila bhatsho ya Yahwe.’ Ndizo azwisunga, athama tjibhayilo.”
- English13
“You acted foolishly,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.
African KalangaSamuele kadwa Saulo kati, “Wathama bulengwe, auzolondolodza nlayo wa Yahwe Ndzimu uwo, wabakakulaulila, ngobe Yahwe babe bowosimisa mbuso uwo mu Iziraela nge kusingapele.
- English14
But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
African KalangaKoga ngwenu mbuso uwo autjowodwilila, naiko Yahwe batjizwishakila nlume upa moyo wabo, Yahwe bambiga kube ntungamili we bathu babo, ngobe iwe auzolondolodza nlayo wabo.”
- English15
Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred.
African KalangaNdizo Samuele kamilika kazwiyendilazwe kudwa mu Giligala. Bamwe bathu bakatobela Saulo kungina mu babhayani, bakayenda kudwa mu Giligala kunoti ku Gibeya mu ntuthu we Bhenjamini. Saulo wakabala bathu baakabe anabo, bakabe bali balume bali mazana ali kutathatu (600).
- English16
Saul and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Micmash.
African KalangaSaulo ne nkololo uwe Jonatani ne bathu bakabe banabo bakabe begala mu Gebha mu ntuthu we Bhenjamini, Bafilisitiya ibo bakakubunganila ku Mikimashi.
- English17
Raiding parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments. One turned toward Ophrah in the vicinity of Shual,
African KalangaMu mishasha ye Bafilisitiya kwakabhuda makoko e babhayani matatu, goko limwe lakalinga kuyendila ku Ofira, ku shango ye Shuali,
- English18
another toward Beth Horon, and the third toward the borderland overlooking the Valley of Zeboim facing the desert.
African Kalangalimwe goko likalinga kuyendila ku Bhetihoroni, ngono limwe likalinga kuyendila ku n'gathu kudelukila ku nkuku we Zeboyimi kuyendila ku tjilambanyika.
- English19
Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!”
African KalangaIpapo kwakabe kusina nthuli mu shango ye Iziraela yose, ngobe Bafilisitiya bakabe bati, “Bahebheru bangadwa bezwithamila makanu kene mathumu.”
- English20
So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plowshares, mattocks, axes and sickles sharpened.
African KalangaNdizo Baiziraela bakabe bogala beyenda benokuswisa zwikara zwabo ne bhosipiki ne mashathu ne sikili ku Bafilisitiya.
- English21
The price was two thirds of a shekel for sharpening plowshares and mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.
African KalangaThemba ye kuswiwa kwe ikara ne bhosipiki yakabe ili zwikwamu zwibili mu butatu zwe shekele ne ikwamu tje butatu tje shekele kukuswa mashathu ne kululwamisa lukombo gunobhaya ng'ombe dzitethegwa.
- English22
So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
African KalangaNdizo kwakati nge zhuba le ngwa, kukabe kusina bukanu kene thumo lingawang'wa mu luboko gwe mmwe we babhayani bakabe bana Saulo na Jonatani. Koga Saulo ne nkololo uwe Jonatani bakabe banazo.
- African Kalanga
Ipapo mphatho we babhayani be Bafilisitiya wakabe wabhudila kuzhe ku nkoto we Mikimashi.
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.