The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
2 Kings 3English
2 Bomambo 3African Kalanga
- English1
Joram son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years.
African KalangaMu gole lebugumi lina ali zhanalume la Jehoshafati mambo we Juda, Joramu nkololo wa Ahabu kabe mambo we Iziraela mu Samariya, ngono kabusa makole ali gumi lina mabili.
- English2
He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not as his father and mother had done. He got rid of the sacred stone of Baal that his father had made.
African KalangaWakathama mbipo mu mesho a Yahwe, nenguba asakathama kunonga kwa tate babe na mme babe ngoti wakaliga phanda dza Bhaale dzakabe dzathamwa ndi tate babe.
- English3
Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.
African KalangaNenguba kwakajalo, wakanamatila zwibi zwa Jeroboamu nkololo wa Nebati, wakathama Iziraela kuti itjinye, aazotongo thubukana nazo.
- English4
Now Mesha king of Moab raised sheep, and he had to supply the king of Israel with a hundred thousand lambs and with the wool of a hundred thousand rams.
African KalangaNgono Mesha mambo we Moabu wakabe ali nthuwi we pkhwizi, wakabe epa mambo we Iziraela gole ne gole pkhwizana dzili zwiwulu zwili zana (100 000), nenge wulu ye nyundo dzili zwiwulu zwili zana (100 000).
- African Kalanga
Koga kwakati Ahabu afa, mambo we Moabu kapandukila mambo we Iziraela.
- African Kalanga
Ndizo Mambo Jehoramu kabhuda mu Samariya nge tjibaka itjetjo ngono kakubunganya Iziraela yose.
- English7
He also sent this message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” “I will go with you,” he replied. “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
African KalangaNgono katumila ndayidzo kuna Jehoshafati mambo we Juda eti, “Mambo we Moabu wandipandukila, apa unowoyenda nami kunobhayana naye kene?” Ngono kashandula eti, “Ndowoyenda nawe, ndonga iwe, ne bathu bangu banonga babo, ne mbizi dzangu dzonga dzidzo.”
- African Kalanga
Kabe eti, “Towoyenda nge zila ipi?” Jehoramu kadabila eti, “Nge zila ye tjilambanyika tje Edomu.”
- English9
So the king of Israel set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After a roundabout march of seven days, the army had no more water for themselves or for the animals with them.
African KalangaNdizo mambo we Iziraela kayenda na mambo we Juda na mambo we Edomu. Bakati basinopoteleka kwe mazhuba ali kutendeka, kukasheteka vula ye ngwa neye zwithuwo zwabakabe banazo.
- English10
“What!” exclaimed the king of Israel. “Has the Lord called us three kings together only to hand us over to Moab?”
African KalangaMambo we Iziraela kabe eti, “Yee mme wee, ilikuti Yahwe bakubunganya bomambo ibaba batatu kubalonga mu maboko e Moabu kene?”
- English11
But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord through him?” An officer of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.”
African KalangaKoga Jehoshafati kati, “Apa akuna nlebesambeli wa Yahwe ipapa watingabhuzwa kuna Yahwe ndiye kene?” Ipapo mmwe we balanda ba mambo we Iziraela kashandula eti, “Elisha nkololo wa Shafati uyapo, iye wakabe e ngudza Elija maboko.”
- English12
Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
African KalangaJehoshafati kati, “Dama la Yahwe linaye.” Ndizo mambo we Iziraela na Jehoshafati na mambo we Edomu bakayenda kunli.
- English13
Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What do we have to do with each other? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.” “No,” the king of Israel answered, “because it was the Lord who called us three kings together to hand us over to Moab.”
African KalangaNgono Elisha kadwa mambo we Iziraela kati, “Apa ndineni nawe kene? Yenda ku balebesambeli ba tate babo neku balebesambeli ba mmeyabo.” Ngono mambo we Iziraela kandwa kati, “Aa, ngoti ndi Yahwe bashanganya bomambo ibaba batatu kubalonga mu maboko e Moabu.”
- English14
Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, if I did not have respect for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you or even notice you.
African KalangaElisha kati, “Ndotuna na Yahwe Masimbawose banotjila, ibo bandinoshingila nditi, ha kwabe ilikuti andina hanya na Jehoshafati mambo we Juda, ndabe ndisowokulinga kene iko kukubona.
- English15
But now bring me a harpist.” While the harpist was playing, the hand of the Lord came upon Elisha
African KalangaNdizo ngwenu mundizhisileni n'lidzi.” Kwakati n'lidzi elidza, simba la Yahwe likabuya muna Elisha.
- African Kalanga
Ngono kati, “Tjinoleba Yahwe ndi etji, ‘Thama nkuku iwoyu uzhale makomba.’
- English17
For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink.
African KalangaNgoti etji nditjo tjinoleba Yahwe, ‘Amutowobona phepo kene vula, koga nkuku iwoyu unowozhala vula ngono imwi ne ng'ombe dzenyu ne zwithuwo zwenyu mowong'wa.’
- African Kalanga
Ikoku tjithu tjilelulelu mu mesho a Yahwe, kakale banowolongabo Bamoabu mu maboko awo.
- English19
You will overthrow every fortified city and every major town. You will cut down every good tree, stop up all the springs, and ruin every good field with stones.”
African KalangaMowokunda nzi nkulu mmwe ne mmwe we matizhilo ne nzi mmwe ne mmwe wakashalugwa. Mowotema nti mmwe ne mmwe wakanaka mukamisa mikukwana yose kuti isiwunge, mukatjinya nnda mmwe ne mmwe wakanaka nge mabgwe.”
- English20
The next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was–water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.
African KalangaKwakati tjimuka mangwanana, kuli tjibaka tje kupa tjipo tje tjibhayilo, bonani, vula ika wunga idwa tjeku Edomu, kudzina shango izhala vula.
- English21
Now all the Moabites had heard that the kings had come to fight against them; so every man, young and old, who could bear arms was called up and stationed on the border.
African KalangaKwakati Bamoabu bose bewha kuti bomambo babuya kuwobhayana nabo, bose bakabe betubula kuambala zwiambalo zwe ngwa kudwa mu ntjetjana kunoti mu whola, bakanobigwa pa n'gathu.
- English22
When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites across the way, the water looked red–like blood.
African KalangaNgono bakati bemuka mangwanana, zhuba lakabe lipenya mu vula. Bamoabu bakabona vula kulingisana nabo ili shaba se malopa.
- English23
“That’s blood!” they said. “Those kings must have fought and slaughtered each other. Now to the plunder, Moab!”
African KalangaNgono bakati, “Ikoku malopa, bomambo ba bhayana nge kwabo bakabulayana. Ngono ngwenu, Moabu katape.”
- English24
But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and fought them until they fled. And the Israelites invaded the land and slaughtered the Moabites.
African KalangaKoga bakati beswika ku makotokelo e Iziraela, Baiziraela bakamilika bakabanginilila kudzina betizha. Ngono Baiziraela bakangina mu shango ye Moabu bakababulaya.
- English25
They destroyed the towns, and each man threw a stone on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up all the springs and cut down every good tree. Only Kir Hareseth was left with its stones in place, but men armed with slings surrounded it and attacked it as well.
African KalangaBakalobesa mizi mikulu, ngono nlume mmwe ne mmwe kalashila bgwe mu nnda mmwe ne mmwe wakanaka kuswikila uzhala, bakamisa mikukwana yose ye vula, bakatema nti mmwe ne mmwe wakanaka. Ngono bakati beswika ku nzi nkulu we Kirihariseti bakausiya ne mabgwe awo, ngono balume bezwivirimabgwe bakaunginilila bakaukunda.
- English26
When the king of Moab saw that the battle had gone against him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they failed.
African KalangaKwakati mambo we Moabu ebona kuti ngwa inonkulila katola balume bali mazana ali kutendeka (700) banoziba shingisa thumo kuti banothukila kuna mambo we Edomu ngono bakakong'wa.
- English27
Then he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall. The fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land.
African KalangaIpapo katola nkololo uwe we mbano, iye wakabe akafanila kun'gala thaka, kandusa kuli tjibhayilo tjinopisiwa pezhugwi kwe guma. Ngono Baiziraela bakagwadzamoyo kukulu, bakabhuda pa nli, bakabgwilila kushango yabo.
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.