The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
1 Samuel 30English
1 Samuwele 30African Kalanga
- English1
David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it,
African KalangaDafite ne balanda babe bakaswika ku Zikilagi mu zhuba le butatu. Baamaleki bakabe banginilila Negebu ne Zikilagi. Bakabe banginilila Zikilagi bepisa,
- English2
and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.
African Kalangabakatapa bakadzi na bose bakabe bali muili, bose batukununu ne bakulukulu, kusina wababulaya, koga bakabatapa bakayenda nabo.
- English3
When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.
African KalangaKwakati Dafite ne balanda babe beswika ku Zikilagi, bakawana wakapisiwa nge moto ne bakadzi babo ne bakololo ne bakololokadzi babo bakatapiwa.
- African Kalanga
Ndizo Dafite ne balanda babe bakalilila pezhugwi, kuswikila bepelegwa nge simba le kulila.
- English5
David’s two wives had been captured–Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
African KalangaBakadzi ba Dafite nge bubili, Ahinoami we Jezerele na Abigaile tjilikadzi ya Nabhali we Karimeli, bakabe batapiwabo.
- English6
David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.
African KalangaDafite wakabe ali mu mbatsha dzisishoma, ngobe bathu beti banonlikitidza nge mabgwe, mmwe ne mmwe akadzipikana ngekwe bakololo ne bakololokadzi babe. Koga Dafite kawana simba muna Yahwe Ndzimu uwe.
- English7
Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him,
African KalangaDafite kadwa mpirisiti Abiathari nkololo wa Ahimeleke kati, “Undipe tjiambalo tje bupirisiti.” Abiathari kampa itjo.
- English8
and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”
African KalangaDafite kabuzwa muna Yahwe kati, “Apa ndingatobela goko ileli kene? Apa ndonolibhata kene?” Yahwe bakashandula beti, “Ulitobele unowonolibhata, ukatubula kubasunungula.”
- African Kalanga
Ndizo Dafite wakamilika ne balume bali mazana ali tathatu, bakaswika ku Bheza Ravine, pakabe bamwe basala shule.
- English10
for two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the ravine. But David and four hundred men continued the pursuit.
African KalangaDafite kadwilila nge gwendo ne balume bali mazana manna (400), ngobe bali mazana mabili (200) bakasala bakong'wa ngotjuluka Bheza banyala kwazo.
- English11
They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat–
African KalangaBalume bakabe bana Dafite bakawana nzhuzha we N'egipiti mu shango bakantola bakan'yisa kuna Dafite, bakampa zojiwa kaja ne vula kang'wa.
- English12
part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.
African KalangaBakampa gwamu le phaya dzakakobogwa ne zhambi dzakawanikiwa kaja kazibunuka, ngobe wakabe ana mazhuba matatu ne masiku matatu asingawane zojiwa kene vula.
- English13
David asked him, “To whom do you belong, and where do you come from?” He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago.
African KalangaDafite kambhuzwa kati, “U nlanda waani, unodwa ngayi?” Kashandula eti, “Ndi N'egipiti, nlanda we N'amaleki. Tetshi wangu wakandilasha ngobe ndakabe ndagwala mazhuba matatu akapinda.
- English14
We raided the Negev of the Kerethites and the territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.”
African KalangaTakanginilila Negebu kwe Bakerethiya ne ntuthu we Juda ne Negebu kwe Khalibhi, tikabuya tikapisa Zikilagi.”
- English15
David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?” He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.”
African KalangaDafite kambhuzwa kati, “Apa unganondilakidza goko ileli kwaliyako kene?” Ngono nzhuzha kadabila eti, “Ha mungatuna mbeli kwe Ndzimu, kuti amungandibulaye kene amungandipe tetshi wangu, ndinganomuyisa ku goko ileli.”
- English16
He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah.
African KalangaWakatungamila Dafite kanonswikisa ku bali, bakabawana bakaandama ne shango yose, beja beng'wa, bezana, ngobe bakabe bakashathila bukulu gwe thundu yabakatapa mu shango ye Bafilisitiya ne mu Juda.
- English17
David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.
African KalangaDafite kagwa nabo kababulaya kudwa mangwanana kuyedza kuswikila tjimuka madekwana, ngono akuna wabo wakapudzumuka, kuzhe kwe bazhuzha bali mazana manna (400) bakatatha kamela bakatizha.
- African Kalanga
Dafite kadzutunula kose kwakabe kwatogwa nge Baamaleki, kose ne bakadzi babe nge babili.
- English19
Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back.
African KalangaAkuna tjakasheteka, tjitukununu kene tjikulu kulu, balisana kene baanadi, zwakabe zwatapiwa keneni tjakabe tjatogwa, Dafite wakabuya nazo zose.
- English20
He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”
African KalangaDafite wakadzutunula zose ngubi ye pkhwizi ne ng'ombe, bathu babe bakatakula zwithuwo mbeli kukwe, beyenda beti, “Eyi, i thundu ya Dafite yakabe yatapiwa.”
- English21
Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Ravine. They came out to meet David and the people with him. As David and his men approached, he greeted them.
African KalangaNdizo Dafite kaswika ku balume bali mazana mabili (200) bakabe bakakong'wa nge kuyenda naye bakasala pa Bheza Ravine banyala kwazo. Balume ibabo bakabhuda bakanshanganidza Dafite ne bathu baakabe anabo. Kukati Dafite ne balanda babe beswika koga, kabadumilisa.
- English22
But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.”
African KalangaKoga bathu bose be meyambi ne basi be tjimwe bamwe be batobeli ba Dafite bakabe beti, “Ngobe ibaba abazobe bayenda naswi, atitowokobana nabo zwakatapiwa zwatakadzutunula, kuzhe kwekuti nlume mmwe ne mmwe atole nkadzi uwe ne bana babe ayende.”
- English23
David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and handed over to us the forces that came against us.
African KalangaDafite kashandula eti, “Akuzojalo bakololo ba tate bangu, amuzofanila thama muijalo ngekwe zwatapiwa ndi Yahwe. Bakatitjengeta bakathama kuti tikunde ikwata tjakabe tjatinginilila.
- English24
Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.”
African KalangaApa ndiani unowoteedza tjamunoleba kene? Gobe le nthu wakasala akalinda thundu lolizana ne nthu wakayenda ku ngwa. Bose banowokobana nge ndizanyo.”
- African Kalanga
Kudwa mu zhuba ilelo Dafite kakuthama kukabe nlayo ne yendiso mu Iziraela kuswikila nasi.
- English26
When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, “Here is a present for you from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies.”
African KalangaKwakati Dafite eswika ku Zikilagi, katumilila zwimwe zwe zwakatapiwa ku bazwalani babe, batungamili be Juda kabadwa kati, “Ndamupa tjipo etje, kudwa muna zwakatapiwa mu zwita zwa Yahwe.”
- African Kalanga
Etumilila kuna bakabe bali ku Bhetele ne Ramoti ne Negebu ne Jatiri,
- African Kalanga
ne kuna bakabe bali ku Aroeru ne Sifumothe ne Eshitemoa,
- African Kalanga
ne ku Rakali ne kuna bakabe bali mu mizi ye Bajeramiyeli ne Bakeni,
- African Kalanga
ne kuna bakabe bali ku Horima ne Bhori Ashani ne Athaki
- African Kalanga
ne ku Heburoni ne kuna bakabe bali ku magalo wose kwakabe Dafite ne bathu babe besoyendaboko.
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.