The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
2 Samuel 21English
2 Samuwele 21African Kalanga
- English1
During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the Lord. The Lord said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.”
African KalangaIpapo mu mazhuba a Mambo Dafite, kukabe ne bhamba kwe makole matatu etobedzana, ngono Dafite kabhuzwa kuna Yahwe. Ngono Yahwe bakashandula beti, “Ndingekwe nlandu we lopa lakatebugwa ndi Saulo ne be nsha uwe, ngobe wakabulaya Bagibiyoni.”
- English2
The king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.)
African KalangaNdizo mambo kadana Bagibiyoni kuwolebeleka nabo. (Ipapo Bagibiyoni bakabe basi be bamwe be Baiziraela, koga bakabe bali malimbelimbe e Baamori, bakati bathu be Iziraela bakabagadzabgwe kubatjidza, koga Saulo kashoko balobesa mu kushingayilila bathu be Iziraela ne be Juda kukwe).
- English3
David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How shall I make amends so that you will bless the Lord’s inheritance?”
African KalangaNdizo Dafite kabhuzwa Bagibiyoni kati, “Ini tjamunoda kuti ndimuthamile itjo? Ndimufupe ngeni kuti mukombolele thaka ya Yahwe.”
- English4
The Gibeonites answered him, “We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death.” “What do you want me to do for you?” David asked.
African KalangaBagibiyoni bakanshandula beti, “Atina fanilo dzekushaka siliva kene golide kuna Saulo kene kuna be nsha uwe, naiko akuteli mutili kuti tingabulaya mmwe nthu mu Iziraela.” Mambo kabhuzwa kati, “Ngono mukati ndimuthamileni?”
- English5
They answered the king, “As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel,
African KalangaBakadwa mambo bakati, “Iye nlume wakatipaladza ebuya etilukila gwanga kutilobesa, kuti ndizo tishaye bugalo mu mituthu yose ye Iziraela,
- English6
let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and exposed before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul— the Lord’s chosen one.” So the king said, “I will give them to you.”
African Kalangamutipe bana be bana babe be tjilume bali kutendeka, kuti ndizo tibabulaye nge kubalembeledza mbeli kwa Yahwe ku Gibiyoni ya Saulo mu dombo la Yahwe.” Mambo kabadwa kati, “Ndowomupa ibo.”
- English7
The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the Lord between David and Jonathan son of Saul.
African KalangaKoga mambo kasiya Mefibosheti mwana we mwana wa Saulo wa Jonatani, ngekwe kutuna kuna Yahwe kwakathamwa ndi Dafite na Jonatani nkololo wa Saulo.
- English8
But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
African KalangaMambo katola bakololo babili ba Rizipa nkololokadzi wa Aiya waakazwala na Saulo, Arimoni na Mefibosheti ne bali bashanu ba Merabhu nkololokadzi wa Saulo waakazwala na Adiriele nkololo wa Bharizilai we N'meholati.
- English9
He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed and exposed them on a hill before the Lord. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning.
African KalangaDafite kabalonga mu maboko e Bagibiyoni, bakabasungilila pezhugwi kwe dombo mbeli kwa Yahwe, bakafa bose butendeka gwabo. Bakabulawa mu tjibaka tjekuvuna mu mazhuba e kutanga kuvungwa bhali.
- English10
Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds of the air touch them by day or the wild animals by night.
African KalangaKudwa ipapo Rizipa nkololo wa Aiya katola jila le saka kaliwala pa lutombo, kudwila kutangisa kwe kuvung'wa kudzina vula izha ina pezhugwi kwe zwitumbu, wakatata nyuni masikati ne zwibandana busiku kuti zwisitongoja zwitumbu.
- African Kalanga
Kukati Dafite abudziwa tjathamiwa ndi Rizipa nkololokadzi wa Aiya nkadzi wa Saulo,
- English12
he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. (They had taken them secretly from the public square at Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.)
African KalangaDafite kayenda kanotola mafupa a Saulo ne e nkololo uwe Jonatani ku bathu be Jabeshi mu Giliyadi, bakabe babakwiba mu lubala gwe Bhetishani, pakabe Bafilisitiya basungilila zwitumbu pezhugwi kwe Dombo le Gilibhowa.
- English13
David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up.
African KalangaDafite kanozha ne mafupa a Saulo ne mafupa e nkololo uwe Jonatani, bebe bekubunganya mafupa a ibaba babakabe basungilila
- English14
They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land.
African KalangaNdizo bakabiganya mafupa a Saulo ne e nkololo uwe Jonatani mu shango ya Bhenjamini mu Zela, mu ikumbu tja Kishi tate babe, bakathama kose kwakabe kwalebgwa ndi mambo. Shule kwa ikoku Yahwe bakadabila mitembezelo yabo bekumbilila shango.
- English15
Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted.
African KalangaKukabe ne ngwa kakale pakati kwe Bafilisitiya ne Iziraela, ngono Dafite kayendabo ne babhayani babe, bakagwa ne Bafilisitiya, ngono Dafite kanyala kwazo.
- English16
And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David.
African KalangaIpapo Ishibhenobho mmwe we bakololo be makwelemba wakabe ana thumo linolema kwe shekele dzili mazana matatu (300) e phangula, kakale akadedela bukanu butshwa, ekumbula kubulaya Dafite.
- English17
But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished.”
African KalangaKoga Abishayi nkololo wa Zeruya kazha kan'gwila, kaloba Nfilisitiya kambulaya. Ndizo babhayani ba Dafite bakatuna beti, “Musitjabe mubhuda naswi akuyendiwa ku ngwa, kuti ndizo luvone gwe Iziraela gusidzime.”
- English18
In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.
African KalangaShule kwa ikoku kukabe ne imwe ngwa ne Bafilisitiya ku Gobu, Sibhekayi we Nhushahi kabulaya Safu, wakabe ali mmwe we bakololo be makwelemba.
- English19
In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.
African KalangaKukabe ne imwe ngwa kakale ne Bafilisitiya ku Gobu, Elihanani nkololo wa Jaareoregimu we Nbhetelehema, kabulaya Goliati we N'giti wakabe ana thumo lina mpini nkodu se nsemo we mutjini unoluka.
- English20
In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha.
African KalangaKukabe ne imwe ngwa kakale ku Gati, kwakabe kuna nlume wakakulila pezhugwi, ana zwinyala zwili zwitathatu mu luboko gung'ompela, ne zwitathatu zwe gumbo ling'ompela, zose zwili makumi mabili ana zwili nna (24), na iyebo wakabe ali we bakololo be makwelemba.
- African Kalanga
Wakati edadila Iziraela, Jonatani nkololo wa Shimeyi, nnung'una wa Dafite kambulaya.
- English22
These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.
African KalangaBunna igogu bakabe bali bakololo banodwa mu makwelemba e Gati, ngono bakafila mu maboko a Dafite ne mu maboko e babhayani babe.
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.