The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Deuteronomy 1English
Matama 1African Kalanga
- English1
These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the desert east of the Jordan–that is, in the Arabah– opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab.
African KalangaAwa matama akalebgwa ndi Mushe ku Baiziraela bose ku bhezhuba kwe Jorodani mu tjilambanyika, mu Arabha kulingisana ne Sufu pakati kwe Parani ne Tofeli ne Labani ne Hazeroti ne Dizahabhu.
- African Kalanga
Kotola gwendo gwe mazhuba ali gumi lina zhuba ling'ompela kudwa mu Horebu kunoti ku Kadeshibhareneya nthu eyenda nge zila ye Dombo le Seiri.
- English3
In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them.
African KalangaNgono mu gole le bumakumi manna (40), mu zhuba le kutanga le mwedzi we bugumi lina zhuba ling'ompela badwa mu Egipiti, Mushe kalebeleka ne bathu be Iziraela nge kwakose Yahwe kwabakapa Mushe uli nlayo kubali,
- English4
This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, and at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.
African Kalangaasinokunda Sihoni mambo we Baamori wakabe egala ku Heshibhoni na Ogi mambo we Bhashani wakabe egala ku Ashitaroti ne ku Edireyi.
- African Kalanga
Kwakabe kuli seli ye Jorodani mu shango ye Moabu, Mushe etjenesa nlayo iwoyu eti,
- African Kalanga
Yahwe Ndzimu wedu bakati kutili tili ku Horebu, “Imwi magalisa pa dombo ileli,
- English7
Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates.
African Kalangashandukani mutole gwendo gwenyu muyende ku shango ye matuthu ye Baamori ne ku babakidzani babo mu Araba ne mu shango ye matuthu ne shango yakawila ne ku Negebu ne ku tjekelo dze gungwa ne ku shango ye Bakanana ne ku Lebanoni bukule kunoswika ku gwizi bukulu Yufuratesi.
- English8
See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore he would give to your fathers–to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob–and to their descendants after them.”
African KalangaBonani, ndabiga shango mbeli kwenyu, nginani mutole shango iyo Yahwe yabakatuna kuti banoipa botate benyu bo Abhurahama na Isaki na Jakubo ne bana babo banowozha shule kwabo.”
- African Kalanga
“Mu tjibaka itjetjo ndakati kumuli, ‘Anditotubula ndili ndoga kumubhabha.
- English10
The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as many as the stars in the sky.
African KalangaYahwe Ndzimu wenyu wakamuwandisa ngono bonani, nasi monga nyenyedzi dze kudzimu nge bunji.
- English11
May the Lord, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised!
African KalangaTshene Yahwe Ndzimu wa botate benyu bamuwandise mbalo yamuli iyo kanjinji nge tjiwulu bamukombolele sekwa bakagadzabgwe.
- African Kalanga
Ndingasenga tjini ndili ndoga ntolo unolema wenyu ne ndebo dzenyu?
- English13
Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.”
African KalangaShalulani balume bakatjenjela banowhisisa bana zibo, banozibika mu njudzi dzenyu ngono ndowobabiga kube batungamili benyu.’
- African Kalanga
“Makadabila muti, ‘Tjawaleba leba tjakalulwama kutili kuti titjishinge.’
- English15
So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you–as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials.
African Kalanga“Ndizo ndakatola batungamili be njudzi dzenyu, balume bakatjenjela bana zibo ababiga batungamili benyu, batungamili be bali zwiwulu ne batungamili be bali mazana ne batungamili be bali makumi mashanu ne batungamili be bali gumi ne makulukota mu njudzi dzenyu.
- English16
And I charged your judges at that time: Hear the disputes between your brothers and judge fairly, whether the case is between brother Israelites or between one of them and an alien.
African KalangaNgono ndakalaya basumikilisi benyu tjibaka itjetjo nditi, ‘Iwhani ndebo ipakati kwe zwikamu zwenyu ngono musumikilise nge ndulamo pakati kwe nthu ne ikamu tjitje kene pakati kwe nthu ne ntaya unamwi.
- English17
Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.
African KalangaMusitongobe ne shalawulo mu kusumikilisa, muwhe batukunu ne bakulu nge kunofanana, musitongotja buso gwe nthu ngoti kusumikilisa ngekwe Ndzimu. Ndebo inomulemela muizhise kundili ngono ndowoyiwha.’
- African Kalanga
Ngono mu tjibaka itjetjo ndakamubudza kose kwa makafanila thama.”
- English19
Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful desert that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea.
African Kalanga“Ngono tikamilika mu Horebu tikayenda tipalama tjilambanyika itjetjije tjikulu tjakabangalala tjamakabona tiyenda ku shango ye matuthu ye Baamori sekwa takadwiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wedu, ngono tikaswika ku Kadeshibhareneya.
- English20
Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us.
African KalangaIpapo abe nditi kumuli, ‘Maswika ku shango ye matuthu ye Baamori iyo yatinopiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wedu.
- English21
See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
African KalangaBonani, Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu wabiga shango iyeyi mbeli kwenyu, yendani muitole sekwa madwiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wa botate benyu, musitje kene kuli kutemeka mafupa.’
- English22
Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.”
African Kalanga“Ipapo mose mukazha kundili mukati, ‘Ngatitumeni balume banotisholela shango babuye batibudze zila yatingayenda ndiyo nenge kwe mizi mikulu yatinowongina.
- African Kalanga
“Nkumbulo iwhoyo ukalingika wakalulwama kundili, ngono atola balume bali gumi lina babili mu muli, nlume ng'ompela kudwa mu ludzi gung'ompela.
- English24
They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and explored it.
African KalangaNgono bakashanduka bakayenda ku shango ye matuthu bakaswika ku Nkuku we Eshikholi ngono bakawushola.
- English25
Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported, “It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.”
African KalangaNgono bakatola mimwe ye mitjelo ye shango iyeyo bakazha nayo kutili, bakazhisa mbiko kakale beti, ‘I shango yakanaka Yahwe Ndzimu wedu yabanotipa.’ ”
- African Kalanga
“Koga mukaside kuyenda, mukapandukila nlayo wa Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu.”
- English27
You grumbled in your tents and said, “The Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us.
African KalangaMakang'ong'ola muli mu mishasha yenyu mukati, “Ngoti Yahwe banotibenga bakatidusa mu shango ye Egipiti kutilonga mu maboko e Baamori kutilobesa.
- English28
Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’”
African KalangaToyenda ngayi kene? Zwikamu zwedu zwatinyadza moyo azwiti, ‘Bathu bako bakulu kakale balefu patili, mizi mikulukulu kakale yakasima ina makuma akakula, pezhugwi kwa ikoku tabona bakololo be Baanakimu.’ ”
- African Kalanga
Ipapo abe nditi kumuli, “Musipaluke moyo kene kuli kubatja.
- English30
The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes,
African KalangaYahwe Ndzimu wenyu ibo bakamutungamila banowomugwila sekwa bakamuthamila mu Egipiti makalinga,
- English31
and in the desert. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”
African Kalangane mu tjilambanyika kwamakabona Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu sekwa bakamubhabha se nlume ebhabha nkololo uwe, bakamubhabha gwendo gose gwamakayenda kudzina muswika mu magalo iyawa.”
- African Kalanga
Nenguba kwakajalo amuzogalamoyo Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu
- English33
who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.
African Kalangaibo bakamutungamila nge moto busiku kumushakila magalo amungabaka mishasha yenyu muali, umulakidza kuti muyende tjini, masikati bemutungamila nge gole.
- African Kalanga
Ngono Yahwe bakawha matama enyu ngono bakagwadza moyo bakatuna beti,
- English35
“Not a man of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your forefathers,
African Kalanga“Akuna ne ng'ompela we balume ibaba be tjizekugwana itjetji tjibiibi unowobona shango mbuya iyo yandakatuna kuyipa botate benyu,
- English36
except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly.”
African Kalangakuzhe kwa Khalebu nkololo wa Jefune, iye unowoyibona. Iye ne bana babe ndowobapa shango yaakatongo tshamba nge kuti iye wakatobela Yahwe nge buzhalo.”
- English37
Because of you the Lord became angry with me also and said, “You shall not enter it, either.
African KalangaYahwe bakandigwadzila moyo bo ngekwenyu bakabe beti, “Nawebo autowongina ikweno.
- English38
But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it.
African KalangaJoshuwa nkololo wa Nuni, nlanda uwo unowongina, unkulumbidze ngoti unowothama Iziraela kuti baigale thaka.
- English39
And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad–they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it.
African KalangaPezhugwi kwaikoku bana benyu batukununu basathu bakaziba ndulamo kene mbipo banowongina ikweno ngono ndowobapa iyo, banowoyithuwa.
- African Kalanga
Koga imwi shandukani mutole gwendo mu tjilambanyika makalinga ku lubizho gwe Gungwa Shaba.”
- English41
Then you replied, “We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us.” So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.
African KalangaIpapo mukandishandula muti, “Tatjinya kuna Yahwe, towoyenda tikanogwa koga sekwatadwiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wedu.” Ndizo mmwe ne mmwe wenyu kadedela mathumo awe engwa mukakumbula kuti kulelulelu kutathila ku shango ye matuthu.
- English42
But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’”
African KalangaNgono Yahwe bakandidwa bakati, “Ubadwe uti, ‘Musiyende ne kugwa musigwe ngekuti andite ndili pakati kwenyu, musitongodwa mu kundiwa nge zwita zwenyu.’ ”
- English43
So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the Lord’s command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country.
African KalangaNdizo ndakalebeleka namwi ngono mukasitongo whilila koga mukapandukila nlayo wa Yahwe, mukabe ne manyimwe mukatathila ku shango ye matuthu.
- English44
The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah.
African KalangaIpapo Baamori bakabe begala mu shango iyeyo ye matuthu bakamushangamidza nge ngwa bakatatana namwi se nyutji bakamutemela pasi mu Seiri kunoti ku Horima.
- English45
You came back and wept before the Lord, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you.
African KalangaMakashanduka mukalilila mbeli kwa Yahwe, koga Yahwe bakasimuwhilile kene kumuteedza.
- African Kalanga
Ndizo makagala mu Kadeshi mazhuba manjinji, tjibaka tjose tjamakapitsha ikweno.
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.