The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
2 Samuel 24English
2 Samuwele 24African Kalanga
- English1
Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”
African KalangaYahwe bakazhala bushongola kakale ngekwe Iziraela bakakulumbidza Dafite ngekwabo beti, “Yenda unobala bathu be Iziraela ne be Juda.”
- English2
So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are.”
African KalangaNdizo mambo kadwa Joabu ne balauli be babhayani kati, “Yendani mungine mu njudzi dzose dze Iziraela, kudwa ku Dani kunoti ku Bheerisheba ubale bathu bose, kuti ndizibe kuti bangana.”
- English3
But Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?”
African KalangaKoga Joabu kadwa mambo kati, “Dzene Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu bangapaphidza bathu kwakatathikana kungabe ka zana (100) kupinda kwe tjilizanyu tjabali itjo, ngono dzene kungashingikala tetshi wangu mambo batjatjila. Apa ini tetshi wangu mambo mushaka kuti bathu babagwe?”
- English4
The king’s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.
African KalangaKoga dama la mambo likadodomela muna Joabu ne balauli be babhayani. Ndizo Joabu ne balauli be babhayani bakayenda bedwa pana mambo kunobala bathu bose be Iziraela.
- English5
After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer.
African KalangaBakatjulukila seli kwe Jorodani bakanotangisa kudwa mu Aroeri ne mu nzi nkulu upakati kwe nkuku, kuyendila ku Gadi kunoti ku Jazeri.
- English6
They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon.
African KalangaBakanoswika ku ntuthu we Giliyadi ne ku Kadeshi mu ntuthu we Bahiti, ku ntuthu we Kadeshi, bakazha ku Dani, kudwa mu Dani bakanoswika ku Danijaani bakapoteleka bakanoti ne ku Sidoni.
- English7
Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah.
African KalangaNgono bakaswika ku dizhilo le Tire ne mizi yose mikulu ye Bahivi ne Bakanana, bebuya bebhudila ku burwa gwe Juda ku Bheerisheba.
- English8
After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
African KalangaNdizo shule kwe mwedzi ili zhanalume ina mazhuba ali makumi mabili (20), bakashanduklila ku Jerusalema basinopoteleka shango yose.
- English9
Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able- bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.
African KalangaBakabikila mambo mbalo ye balume bose bakazwilizanila kugwa: Bakabe bali zwiwulu zwili mazana ali zhanakadzi (800 000) mu Iziraela ne bali zwiwulu zwili mazana ali mashanu (500 000) mu Juda.
- English10
David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”
African KalangaDafite kalobgwa nge hana asinobe abala bathu. Ngono Dafite kati kuna Yahwe, “Ndatjinya kwazo muna tjandathama. Koga Yahwe, ndomukumbila nditi, dusani jinyo le nlanda wenyu, ngobe ndakathama bulengwe.”
- English11
Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer:
African KalangaKukati Dafite emuka tjimuka, dama la Yahwe likazha ku nlebesambeli Gadi, mboni wa Dafite liti,
- English12
“Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’”
African Kalanga“Yenda unodwa Dafite uti, ‘Yahwe banolebeleka bakati, “Ndokupa zwithu zwili zwitatu, uzwishalulile tjing'ompela tjandingakuthamila itjo.” ’ ”
- English13
So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come upon you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”
African KalangaNdizo Gadi kayenda kuna Dafite kambudza tjalebgwa ndi Yahwe, ebuya embhuzwa eti, “Ndikupi kwaunozwishalulila mu butatu gwazo? Wuti kuzhe makole ali kutendeka etobedzana kuli bhamba mu shango iyo, kene mimwedzi mitatu utizha zwita zwizo zwakakutatamila, kene mazhuba matatu e bugwele mu shango?”
- English14
David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”
African KalangaNdizo Dafite kashandula Gadi eti, “Ndomanikana kwazo, ngatiwile mu luboko gwa Yahwe ngoti ibo bana ngoni whulu, koga tisiwile mu maboko e nthu.”
- English15
So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.
African KalangaNdizo Yahwe bakazhisa bugwele mu Iziraela kudwa mu mangwanana kunoti mu tjibaka tjakabe tjabigwa. Kukafa bathu bali zwiwulu zwili makumi ali tendeka (70 000) kudwa mu Dani kunoti ku Bheerisheba.
- English16
When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
African KalangaKukati ntumwa we kudzimu atjimilidzila luboko gugwe ku Jerusalema ku ulobesa, Yahwe bakabuza moyo, bakadwa ntumwa we kudzimu wakabe elobesa bathu bakati, “Kwagala, tjishandusa luboko gugo!” Ntumwa wa Yahwe wakabe abe pa lutombo gwa Arauna we Njebusi.
- English17
When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall upon me and my family.”
African KalangaKukati Dafite ebona ntumwa we kudzimu wakabe ebulaya bathu kadwa Yahwe kati, “Bonani, ndimi ndakatjinya, ndakathama kwakabipa pkhwizi idzedzi idzo dzakathamani kene? Ndomukumbila ngakulobgwe imi ne nsha wangu.”
- English18
On that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
African KalangaMu zhuba ilelo Gadi kayenda kuna Dafite kandwa kati, “Tathila pezhugwi unobakila Yahwe tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo mu lutombo gwa Arauna we Njebusi.”
- African Kalanga
Ndizo Dafite wakawhilila Yahwe kanothama sekwa adwiwa ndi Gadi.
- English20
When Araunah looked and saw the king and his men coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.
African KalangaKukati Arauna elinga pasi, kabona mambo ne balanda babe bezha kunli, ngono Arauna kabashanganidza kawa nge zwidwi kakotamisa nsholo mbeli kwa Dafite.
- English21
Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” “To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.”
African KalangaArauna kabhuzwa eti, “Ini tetshi wangu mambo mazha ku nlanda wenyu?” Dafite kadabila eti, “Ndawotenga lutombo gugo kuti ndibakile Yahwe tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo mu guli, kuti magwadzi apele mu bathu.”
- English22
Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever pleases him and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.
African KalangaArauna kashandula Dafite eti, “Tetshi wangu mambo bangatola tjipo tjabanowobe bebona tjakabalulwamila, mangabe awha, ne zwileyi ne majokwe e mangabe zwingabesiwa kuthama moto.”
- English23
O king, Araunah gives all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the Lord your God accept you.”
African KalangaArauna kabe eti kuna mambo, “Zwithu zose izwezwi ndomupa izo, dzene Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu, banga amutjila tjibhayilo tjenyu.”
- English24
But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them.
African KalangaKoga mambo kadabila Arauna eti, “Aa, ndowotjilipa, andingaduse tjipo tjinopisiwa ndipa Yahwe Ndzimu wangu ndisalipa tjimwe.” Ndizo Dafite katenga lutombo ne mangabe nge shekele dze siliva dzili makumi mashanu (50).
- English25
David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.
African KalangaDafite kabakila Yahwe tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo. Kadusa tjibhayilo tjinopisiwa ne tjibhayilo tje mbakisano. Yahwe bakadabila kutembezela kukwe ne magwadzi kama mu Iziraela.
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.