The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
2 Samuel 4English
2 Samuwele 4African Kalanga
- English1
When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed.
African KalangaKwakati Ishibosheti nkololo wa Saulo ewha kuti Abineri wakafila ku Heburoni, katemeka mafupa ne Baiziraela bose bakatja.
- English2
Now Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Recab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin,
African KalangaIpapo nkololo wa Saulo wakabe ana balume babili bali batungamili be goko le kutapa, mmwe wakabe eyi Bhaana mmwe kuyi Rekabi. Bakabe bali bakololo ba Rimoni we Nbheeroti we ludzi gwa Bhenjamini. Bheeroti yakabe ili ya Bhenjamini.
- African Kalanga
Bathu be Bheeroti bakatizhila ku Githaimu bakanogalako bali bazhi na nasi.
- English4
(Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became crippled. His name was Mephibosheth.)
African KalangaJonatani nkololo wa Saulo wakabe ana mwana we tjilume wakabe ali tjilema makumbo wose. Wakabe ana makole ali mashanu ha thawu ngekwa Saulo na Jonatani dzizha dzidwa ku Jezirele. Kwakati mbhabhi uwe emmilidza etizha, mukulibilidza kukwe etizha, mwana kawa kabe tjilema. Zina lile lakabe liyi Mefibosheti.
- English5
Now Recab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth, and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest.
African KalangaNgono ngwenu bakololo ba Rimoni we Nbheeroti, bo Rekabi na Bhaana, bakamilika kuli masikati zhuba lipisa bakaswika ku ng'umba ya Ishibhosheti, iye akabe akazwiteedza masikati.
- English6
They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Recab and his brother Baanah slipped away.
African KalangaBakangina mu ng'umba bezwithama banotola mathunde e korong, bakambhaya mu ntumbu, Rekabi ne nnung'una uwe Bhaana bakatizha.
- English7
They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah.
African KalangaBakangina mu ng'umba iye ye bulalo ali lele. Shule kwe kumbhaya bembulaya bakanthubula nsholo. Bebe betola nsholo uwe beyenda nge zila ye Araba busiku gose.
- English8
They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish- Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to take your life. This day the Lord has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.”
African KalangaBakazhisa nsholo wa Ishibhosheti kuna Dafite ku Heburoni bebe bedwa mambo beti, “Nsholo wa Ishibosheti nkololo wa Saulo woyu, tjita tjitjo, wakabe eshaka kumubulaya, Yahwe ba bgwilizilila tetshi wangu mambo mu zhuba la nasi kuna Saulo ne bana be bana babe.”
- English9
David answered Recab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of all trouble,
African KalangaDafite kadabila Rekabi ne nnung'una uwe Bhaana bakololo ba Rimoni we Nbheeroti eti, “Ndotuna na Yahwe, bakandidzutunula mu mbatsha dzose!
- English10
when a man told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news!
African KalangaKwakati nlume wakandibudza kuti Saulo wafa ekumbula kuti wazhisa thawu dzinozipa, ndakambhata ambulaya ku Zikilagi, iwoyu ndiwo mbayilo wandakampa mu thawu dzidze!
- English11
How much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed— should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!”
African KalangaKowobetjani kene, ha balume babiibi babulaya nthu usina nlandu ali pa bulalo mu ng'umba iye! Ngono ngwenu apa andingashake malopa awe mu maboko enyu, ndibuya ndimudusa mu shango kene?”
- English12
So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb at Hebron.
African KalangaNdizo Dafite kadusa ndaulo ku balanda babe, ngono bakababulaya, bakabathubula maboko ne makumbo, bakapaika zwitumbu zwabo pa wunde ye dziba mu Heburoni. Koga nsholo wa Ishibhosheti bakaubiganya mu ikumbu tja Abineri mu Heburoni.
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.