The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
2 Kings 8English
2 Bomambo 8African Kalanga
- English1
Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years.”
African KalangaNgwenu Elisha wakabe adwa nkadzi waakabe apodzela mwana eti, “Milika uyende ne bensha uwo ngono munolubila ngobe Yahwe badana bhamba mushango linowokweba kwe makole ali kutendeka.”
- English2
The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family went away and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years.
African KalangaNdizo nkadzi kamilika ngono kathama kuyendidzana nge dama le nlume we Ndzimu, nkadzi kayenda ne bensha uwe ngono bakanogala ku shango ye Bafilisitiya kwe makole ali kutendeka.
- English3
At the end of the seven years she came back from the land of the Philistines and went to the king to beg for her house and land.
African KalangaNgono kwakati kubupelo gwe makole ali kutendeka, nkadzi ebuya edwa kushango ye Bafilisitiya, kayenda kuna mambo kunokumbila ng'umba iye ne shango iye.
- English4
The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and had said, “Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done.”
African KalangaMambo bakabe belebeleka na Gehazi nlanda we nlume we Ndzimu beti, “Undibudze zwithu zose zwikulu zwakathamiwa ndi Elisha.”
- English5
Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to beg the king for her house and land. Gehazi said, “This is the woman, my lord the king, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.”
African KalangaNgono kwakati Gehazi atjabudza mambo kuti Elisha wakamusa nfi tjini, bonani, nkadzi wakamusigwa nkololo ndi Elisha kangina kuwokumbila ng'umba ne shango iye kuna mambo. Ngono Gehazi kati, “Tetshi wangu, mambo, nkadzi wakhona ndiye iwoyu ne nkololo uwe ndiye iwoyu wakamusiwa ndi Elisha.”
- English6
The king asked the woman about it, and she told him. Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, “Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now.”
African KalangaMambo kabhuzwa nkadzi ngekwako, ngono nkadzi kambudza. Ndizo mambo kadusila nkadzi iwoyu mmwe we batungamili, kandwa kati, “Umbgwilizile tjimwe ne tjimwe tjakabe tjilitjitje, kose ne zwakabhuda mu nnda, kudwa muzhuba laakabhuda mu shango kuswikila ngweno.”
- English7
Elisha went to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad king of Aram was ill. When the king was told, “The man of God has come all the way up here,”
African KalangaElisha kayenda ku Damasiko, ngono Bhenihadadi mambo we Siriya wakabe egwala. Ngono mambo bakati bebudziwa kuti, “Nlume we Ndzimu wabuya ipapa,”
- English8
he said to Hazael, “Take a gift with you and go to meet the man of God. Consult the Lord through him; ask him, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’”
African Kalangamambo bakadwa Hazaele bakati, “Tola tjipo uyende unoshangamidza nlume we Ndzimu. Ubhuzwe Yahwe ndiye uti, ‘Apa ndowopola mu bugwele igogu kene?’ ”
- English9
Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him as a gift forty camel-loads of all the finest wares of Damascus. He went in and stood before him, and said, “Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’”
African KalangaNdizo Hazaele kayenda kunonshanganidza ngono katola tjipo tje zwithu zose zwakanaka zwakasiyasiyana zwe Damasiko kuli ntolo we kamela dzili makumi manna (40). Wakati eswika kama mbeli kukwe kati, “Nkololo uwo Bhenihadadi mambo we Siriya wandituma kukuli kati, ‘Apa ndowopola mu bugwele igogu kene?’ ”
- English10
Elisha answered, “Go and say to him, ‘You will certainly recover’; but the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die.”
African KalangaElisha kashandula eti, “Yenda unondwa uti, ‘Unowopola tjose,’ koga Yahwe bandilakidza kuti unowofa.”
- English11
He stared at him with a fixed gaze until Hazael felt ashamed. Then the man of God began to weep.
African KalangaNgono kamusa nsholo kanlinga kwazo, kudzina Hazaele ebakhwa nge shoni. Nlume we Ndzimu kalila.
- English12
“Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael. “Because I know the harm you will do to the Israelites,” he answered. “You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women.”
African KalangaNgono Hazaele kabhuzwa eti, “Ini tetshi wangu e lila kene?” Kanshandula eti, “Ngobe ndoziba mbipo yaunowothamila bathu be Iziraela, unowolotesa matizhilo abo, ngono ukabulaya bazhuzha babo nge thumo, upkhwanyila bana babo pasi, upubula mitumbu ye bakadzi babo bakazwisenga.”
- English13
Hazael said, “How could your servant, a mere dog, accomplish such a feat?” “The Lord has shown me that you will become king of Aram,” answered Elisha.
African KalangaNgono Hazaele kabe eti, “Apa nlanda wenyu, tjibgwamatuni tjakajali, ungathama tjithu tjikulu zwingapa tjini kene?” Elisha kadabila eti, “Yahwe bandilakidza kuti unowobe mambo we Siriya.”
- English14
Then Hazael left Elisha and returned to his master. When Ben-Hadad asked, “What did Elisha say to you?” Hazael replied, “He told me that you would certainly recover.”
African KalangaNdizo akabhuda pana Elisha ka bgwilila kuna tetshi uwe. Kwakati Bhenihadadi embhuzwa eti, “Elisha wakudwa etini?” Ngono kadabila kati, “Wandidwa kati tjoselele mowopola.”
- English15
But the next day he took a thick cloth, soaked it in water and spread it over the king’s face, so that he died. Then Hazael succeeded him as king.
African KalangaKoga kwakati tjimuka, katola ngubo kaidubika mu vula kaiwala mubuso gwa mambo kuswikila befa. Ndizo Hazaele kan'gala thaka.
- English16
In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah.
African KalangaMu gole le bumakumi mashanu (50) la Joramu nkololo wa Ahabu mambo we Iziraela, Jehoramu nkololo wa Jehoshafati mambo we Juda katangisa kubusa.
- African Kalanga
Wakatangisa kubusa ana makole ali makumi matatu ana mabili (32), ngono kabusa makole ali zhanakadzi mu Jerusalema.
- English18
He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
African KalangaNgono kayenda mu zila ya bomambo be Iziraela, koga sekwakathama be nsha wa Ahabu, ngobe wakabe alobola nkololokadzi wa Ahabu. Ngono kathama mbipo mbeli kwa Yahwe.
- English19
Nevertheless, for the sake of his servant David, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.
African KalangaNenguba kwakajalo, ngekwe nlanda wabo Dafite, Yahwe bakasishathile kolomola Juda. Bakabe bagadzabgwe kuti banowobapa luvone iye ne bakololo babe tjatjose.
- African Kalanga
Mu misi ya Jehoramu, Edomu yakapandukila Juda ngono ikazwibigila mambo wayo.
- English21
So Jehoram went to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he rose up and broke through by night; his army, however, fled back home.
African KalangaNdizo Joramu kayenda ku Zayiri ne koloyi dzidze dzose dze ngwa, kamuka busiku kakunda Baedomu bakabe bakankomba iye ne balauli babe be koloyi dze ngwa, koga ngwa iye ikatizhila kanyi.
- African Kalanga
Ndizo Edomu yakapandukila Juda kuswikila nasi. Libina ikapandukabo mu tjibaka itjetjo.
- English23
As for the other events of Jehoram’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?
African KalangaNgekwe mimwe mishingo ya Joramu na zose zwaakathama, zwakakwagwa mu Lukwalo gwe Zwiyitikalo zwa Bomambo be Juda.
- English24
Jehoram rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And Ahaziah his son succeeded him as king.
African KalangaJehoramu kanonyatutuka na botate babe ngono kabiganyiwa nabo mu Nzi nkulu wa Dafite. Ngono Ahaziya nkololo uwe kan'gala thaka.
- English25
In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign.
African KalangaMu gole le bugumi lina mabili la Joramu nkololo wa Ahabu mambo we Iziraela, Ahaziya nkololo wa Jehoramu katangisa kubusa.
- English26
Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.
African KalangaWakatangisa busa ana makole ali makumi mabili ana mabili (22), ngono kabusa gole mu Jerusalema. Zina la mmeyabe kwakabe kuyi Athaliya ali tjizekugwana tja Omiri mambo we Iziraela.
- English27
He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was related by marriage to Ahab’s family.
African KalangaNaiyebo wakayenda muzila ye be nsha wa Ahabu ngono kathama mbipo mu mesho a Yahwe, sekwakathama be nsha wa Ahabu, ngobe wakabe ali nkwasha we be nsha wa Ahabu.
- English28
Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram;
African KalangaAhaziya wakayenda na Joramu nkololo wa Ahabu kunogwa na Hazaele mambo we Siriya ku Ramotigiliyadi, iko Basiriya kwabakakubadza Joramu.
- English29
so King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramoth in his battle with Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because he had been wounded.
African KalangaNgono Mambo Joramu kabgwilila ku Jezerele kuti anolapiwa mbonje dzaakadusiwa nge Basiriya ku Ramotigiliyadi mu ngwa iye na Hazaele mambo we Siriya. Ngono Ahaziya nkololo wa Joramu mambo we Juda kayenda kunoshola Joramu nkololo wa Ahabu mu Jezerele, ngobe wakabe egwala.
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.