The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
1 Samuel 6English
1 Samuwele 6African Kalanga
- African Kalanga
Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe lakagala mu shango ye Bafilisitiya mwedzi ili kutendeka.
- English2
the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.”
African KalangaNdizo Bafilisitiya bakadana bapirisiti ne ng'anga bakababhuzwa bakati, “Apa tithameni nge Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe kene? Mutibudze kuti tingalibgwiliza neni kanyi kwalo.”
- English3
They answered, “If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it away empty, but by all means send a guilt offering to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you.”
African KalangaBakadabila beti, “Ha mubgwiliza Bhokisi le Tjidumano tje Ndzimu we Iziraela musitongo libgwiliza lisina tjalinatjo, koga sekwa mungatubula mulibgwilize kuuli ne tjibhayilo tje nlandu. Ndizo mowopodziwa, ngono mowoziba kuti ini Yahwe babe basingashanduse shamu yabo mu muli.”
- English4
The Philistines asked, “What guilt offering should we send to him?” They replied, “Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers.
African KalangaBafilisitiya bakabhuzwa bakati, “Apa ini tjatingayisa ku bali tjili tjibhayilo tje nlandu kene?” Bakashandula beti, “Malonda mashanu e golide ne mbeba dzili shanu dze golide, kuyendidzana ne mbalo ye batungamili be Bafilisitiya, ngobe tjiga tjakamushingikalila mose ne batungamili benyu.
- English5
Make models of the tumors and of the rats that are destroying the country, and pay honor to Israel’s god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land.
African KalangaNdizo bumbani zwifano zwe malonda yenyu ne zwifano zwe mbeba dzenyu zwinotjinya shango, ngono muyise gudzo ku Ndzimu we Iziraela, pamwe swiyo banowoshandusa shamu yabo mu muli ne mu midzimu yenyu ne mu shango yenyu.
- English6
Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When he treated them harshly, did they not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?
African KalangaApa ini mungakukutadza moyo yenyu se Baegipiti na Faro bakakukutadza moyo yabo kene? Apa akuzoti shule kwe Ndzimu usinothama makaabadzo, bakaletja Baiziraela bakayenda, apa abazoyenda kene?
- English7
“Now then, get a new cart ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up.
African KalangaNgono ngwenu lulwamisani kara tshwa ne ng'ombe mbili dzinokamiwa dzili dzisakatongo tilikwa jokwi, mudzisunge mu kara koga mudzithubukanye ne phulu dzadzo mudziyise kanyi.
- English8
Take the ark of the Lord and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way,
African KalangaTolani Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe mulilonge mu kara, ngono zwifano zwe golide zwamunoyisa ku Iziraela zwili tjibhayilo tje nlandu, muzwilonge mu bhokisi mulibige pawhunde yalo. Ndizo mulitumile kuti liyende loga.
- English9
but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh, then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us and that it happened to us by chance.”
African KalangaNgono mulilinge, ha lingatobela zila inoyenda ku shango yalo lakalinga ku Bhetishemeshi, ndizo kulobgwa shamu kunogwadza zwingapa towobe takakuthamigwa ndi Yahwe. Koga ha kusakajalo, towoziba kuti ate shamu yabo yakatiloba, ngono tjiga tjakatiwilabo koga.”
- English10
So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves.
African KalangaBathu bakathama beijalo, bakatola ng'ombe mbili dzinokamiwa bakadzisunga mu kara, ngono bakazhalilila phulu dzadzo mu danga.
- English11
They placed the ark of the Lord on the cart and along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors.
African KalangaBakalonga Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe, ne bhokisi lina mbeba dze golide ne zwifano zwe malonda abo mu kara.
- English12
Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.
African KalangaNdizo ng'ombe dzikayenda dzakatambunuka nge zila inoyenda ku Bhetishemeshi, kusina padzinobhuda mu zila, dziyenda dzilila. Boshe be Bafilisitiya bakadzitobelela kudzina dzinoswika ku n'gathu we Bhetishemeshi.
- English13
Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight.
African KalangaIpapo bathu be Bhetishemeshi bakabe bevuna korong yabo mu nkuku. Bakati bemilidza mesho bebona Bhokisi le Tjidumano, bakashathila kulibona.
- English14
The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.
African KalangaKara yakaswikila mu nnda wa Joshuwa we Bhetishemeshi, ngono ikama pa whunde ne shongwe whulu. Bathu bakaphapha whuni dze kara, bakabhaya ng'ombe kupisila Yahwe tjibhayilo.
- English15
The Levites took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. On that day the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord.
African KalangaBalevi bakadelusila Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe pasi, kose ne bhokisi lakabe lina zwithu zwakathamwa nge golide, ngono bakaabiga pezhugwi kwe shongwe whulu. Mu zhuba ilelo bathu be Bhetishemeshi bakadusila Yahwe zwipo bakabapisila zwibhayilo.
- African Kalanga
Kwakati boshe bashanu be Bafilisitiya bebona ikoku, bakashandukila ku Ekironi mu zhuba ilelo.
- English17
These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord -one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron.
African KalangaIyawa ndiwo malonda e golide, akayisiwa nge Bafilisitiya ali tjibhayilo tje nlandu kuna Yahwe: Limwe lili le Ashidodi, limwe lili le Gaza, limwe lili le Ashikeloni, limwe lili le Gati ne limwe lili le Ekironi.
- English18
And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers–the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock, on which they set the ark of the Lord, is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.
African KalangaMbeba dze golide na idzobo, kuyendidzana ne mbalo ye mizi mikulu yose ye Bafilisitiya ya boshe bali bashanu, mizi yakabe yakabakiligwa nenge mizi yakabe isakabakiligwa. Shongwe whulu, yabakadelusila Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe, tjitendeki mu nnda wa Joshuwa we Bhetishemeshi na nasi.
- English19
But God struck down some of the men of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them,
African KalangaNgono Ndzimu wakabulaya bamwe be balume be Bhetishemeshi, wakabulaya bali makumi ali kutendeka (70), ngobe bakabe bashozhela mukati kwe Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe. Bathu bakalila, ngobe Yahwe bakathama kubulaya kukulu mu bathu.
- English20
and the men of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?”
African KalangaBathu be Bhetishemeshi bakati, “Apa ndiani ungatubula kuma mbeli kwa Yahwe kene, Ndzimu iwoyu wakayengemala? Apa Bhokisi le Tjidumano lowoyenda kuna ani kudwa mutili kene?”
- English21
Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to your place.”
African KalangaBakatuma batumwa ku bathu be Kiriatijearimu kunobadwa beti, “Bafilisitiya bakabuza Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe, ngono izhani mulitolele kumuli.”
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.