The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
1 Samuel 4English
1 Samuwele 4African Kalanga
- English1
And Samuel’s word came to all Israel. Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek.
African KalangaNgono dama la Samuele likazibgwa mu Iziraela yose. Ngono Baiziraela bakabhuda kunobhayana ne Bafilisitiya bakakubunganila ku Ebheneza, Bafilisitiya bakakubunganila ku Afeke.
- English2
The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield.
African KalangaBafilisitiya bakalulwamisila babhayani babo kugwa ne Baiziraela, kukati ngwa ikula, Baiziraela bakakundiwa ne Bafilisitiya, bakabulaya balume bangabe zwiwulu zwili zwinna (4 000) mu magwilo.
- English3
When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh, so that it may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.”
African KalangaKwakati babhayani beswika ku bukotokelo, batungamili be Iziraela bakabhuzwana bakati, “Apa ini tjathama nasi kuti Yahwe batilonge mu maboko e Bafilisitiya kuti batikunde kene? Ngatiyendeni tinotola Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe ku Shilo, kuti ndizo Yahwe bazhe babe pakati kwedu batitjidze mu simba le tjita tjedu.”
- English4
So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
African KalangaNdizo kukatumwa balume ku Shilo, ngono bakanobuya ne Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe Masimbawose, ibo bagele pakati kwe kherubhu. Bakololo ba Eli Hofuni na Finihasi, bakabe bali ipapobo ne Bhokisi le Tjidumano tje Ndzimu.
- English5
When the ark of the Lord’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook.
African KalangaKwakati Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe liswika mu bukotokelo, Baiziraela bose bakamimila nge nsindo usinshoma, shango ikaduma.
- English6
Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?” When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp,
African KalangaKwakati Bafilisitiya bewha zhoba ye mima, bakabhuzwana bakati, “Mima iyeyi ingapa nge yeni mu bukotokelo gwe Bahebheru kene?” Bakati basinoziba kuti Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe lazha mu bushanganilo,
- English7
the Philistines were afraid. “A god has come into the camp,” they said. “We’re in trouble! Nothing like this has happened before.
African KalangaBafilisitiya bakapaluka moyo, ngobe bakati, “Ndzimu wazha mu bushanganilo.” Bakadwilila beti, “Yee mme wee, tapalala! Tjinga kwatakazwagwa akuthu kukashingikala kwakajali.
- English8
Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert.
African KalangaYee mme wee tapalala! Apa ndiani ungatigwila mu simba le midzimu iyeyi yakasima zwingapa kene? Ndiyo midzimu yakabulaya Baegipiti nge mbatsha dzakasiyana siyana mu tjilambanyika.
- English9
Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!”
African KalangaIbeni nge tjilopa Bafilisitiya, mubhayane se balume, musitongodwa mube balanda be Bahebheru, sekwa bagala bali balanda benyu. Mubhayane se balume.”
- English10
So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.
African KalangaNdizo Bafilisitiya bakabhayana, Baiziraela bakakundiwa, bakatizha, mmwe ne mmwe katizhila ku nzi uwe. Kwakafiwa kukulu kwazo, Iziraela yakalashikigwa nge babhayani be makumbo bali zwiwulu zwili makumi matatu (30 000).
- African Kalanga
Bhokisi le Tjidumano tje Ndzimu likatapiwa, bakololo ba Eli Hofuni na Finihasi bakafa nge bubili.
- English12
That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh, his clothes torn and dust on his head.
African KalangaNlume we Nbhenjamini kalabuka kudwa ku magwilo, kanolala aswika ku Shilo, akazwipalulila zwiambalo, azwidila mavu mu nsholo.
- English13
When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry.
African KalangaKwakati eswika, Eli wakabe aligele pa tjigalo tjitje pa zila akalinga zila, ngobe wakabe akadziyidzika ngekwe Bhokisi le Tjidumano tje Ndzimu. Ngono nlume iwoyo kati eswika mu nzi, kati eandamisa thawu, nzi wose ukadila guwo.
- English14
Eli heard the outcry and asked, “What is the meaning of this uproar?” The man hurried over to Eli,
African KalangaKwakati Eli ewha guwo, kabhuzwa kati, “Yeli guwo lingapa ngeleni kene?” Ipapo nlume iwoyo kazha tjinyolotjo, kabudza Eli.
- African Kalanga
Eli wakabe atjikwegula makole awe abe makumi ali zhanalume lina makole ali zhanakadzi (98) mesho awe atjipofupala asingatjabone.
- English16
He told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.” Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”
African KalangaNlume iwoyu wakadwa Eli kati, “Ndimi ndadwa ku ngwa, ndatizha ku ngwa nasi.” Eli kabhuzwa kati, “Apa kutjani koga ikweno nkololo wangu?”
- English17
The man who brought the news replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”
African KalangaNtuli we thawu kashandula eti, “Baiziraela bakundiwa nge Bafilisitiya, ngono kwabe ne kufa kukulu kwazo kwe babhayani, nenge bakololo benyu Hofuni na Finihasi bafabo. Bhokisi le Tjidumano tje Ndzimu nailobo latapiwa.”
- English18
When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man and heavy. He had led Israel forty years.
African KalangaWakati eleba ngekwe Bhokisi le Tjidumano tje Ndzimu, Eli kakudubhuka mu tjigalo tjitje kanowa nge itiko pa whunde ne nkoba, ngono kavunika ntshibha kafa, ngobe wakabe akakwegula kakale ana mbili. Eli wakabe ana makole ali makumi manna (40) ali ntungamili we Iziraela.
- English19
His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains.
African KalangaNlongo wa Eli nkadzi wa Finihasi, wakabe atjikuligwa abe pejo ngotshibama. Wakati ewha thawu dze kuti Bhokisi le Tjidumano tje Ndzimu lakatapiwa ne kuti tezwale babe ne nlume uwe bafa, ipapo koga kangina mu zwibhayo ngono zwibhayo zwikankulila katshibama,
- English20
As she was dying, the women attending her said, “Don’t despair; you have given birth to a son.” But she did not respond or pay any attention.
African Kalangakoga wakabe atjipelegwa abe pejo ngofa, batshibamisi bakandwa bakati, “Usitje, ngobe wawana mwana we tjilume.” Koga kasibadabile nenguba kuli kube ne hanya.
- English21
She named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel”- because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband.
African KalangaKatumila mbisana zina linoyi Ikabhodi, edwa kuti, “Gudzo lafuluka mu Iziraela,” ngekuti Bhokisi le Tjidumano tje Ndzimu lakabe latapiwa nenge kwe lufu gwa tezwale babe ne nlume uwe.
- African Kalanga
Kabe eti, “Gudzo lafuluka mu Iziraela, ngobe Bhokisi le Tjidumano tje Ndzimu latapiwa.”
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.