The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Deuteronomy 12English
Matama 12African Kalanga
- English1
These are the decrees and laws you must be careful to follow in the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess–as long as you live in the land.
African Kalanga“Eyi milayo yamakafanila yela njele kuilondolodza mu shango Yahwe Ndzimu wa bobatategulu benyu yabakamupa kuithuwa mazhuba wose amunotjila mu shango.
- English2
Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains and on the hills and under every spreading tree where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods.
African KalangaNge malebeswa wose mukolomodze magalo wose ekunamata midzimu e njudzi dzamunowotolela shango, pezhugwi kwe matombo malefu na pezhugwi kwe matuthu na kusi kwe nti mmwe ne mmwe una mazhani manyolo.
- English3
Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places.
African KalangaMulige zwibeso zwabo zwe zwibhayilo mube mupkhwanya mapango abo mupise bo Ashera babo nge moto. Muteme mulige midzimu yabo ye zwifano muduse zina labo mu magalo iyawaje.
- African Kalanga
Musitongo namata Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu sayikoko.
- English5
But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go;
African KalangaKoga imwi mu shake bugalo gwamunoshaluligwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu pakati kwe njudzi dzose kubiga zina labo ne kuthama bugaloko, ikoko ndiko kwamunowoyenda.
- English6
there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.
African KalangaNgono ikoko kube iko kwamunoyisa zwibhayilo zwenyu zwinopisiwa ne zwimwe zwibhayilo zwenyu ne zwebugumi zwenyu ne zwipo zwamunodusa ne zwipo zwe kutuna kwenyu ne zwipo zwe kuda kwenyu ne mbano dze zwithuwo zwenyu.
- English7
There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.
African KalangaIkoko mowojila mbeli kwa Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu, mowoshatha, imwi ne misha yenyu mu tjimwe ne tjimwe tjamunowothama, ngoti Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu banomukombolela.
- African Kalanga
Musitongo thama sekwa tinothama ipapa sangwenu mu zhuba lino, mmwe ne mmwe ethama tjimwe ne tjimwe tjaanobona tjakalulwama mu mesho awe,
- English9
since you have not yet reached the resting place and the inheritance the Lord your God is giving you.
African Kalangangoti amuthu mukaswika mu kunyaluluka ne mu thaka yamunopiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu.
- English10
But you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and he will give you rest from all your enemies around you so that you will live in safety.
African KalangaKoga muti mutjuluka Jorodani, mugala mu shango yamunopiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu kuithuwa, ngono bemupa kunyaluluka mu kugwa ne zwita zwenyu zose kumupoteleka kuti mutjile makabakililika.
- English11
Then to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name–there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice possessions you have vowed to the Lord.
African KalangaIpapo ku bugalo gunowoshalugwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu kuthama kuti zina labo ligale ko, ikoko ndiko kwamunowozhisa kose kwandinowomudwa: Zwibhayilo zwenyu zwinopisiwa ne zwibhayilo zwimwe ne zwe bugumi ne zwipo zwamunodusa ne zwibhayilo zwe kutuna zwamakatuna kuna Yahwe.
- English12
And there rejoice before the Lord your God, you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites from your towns, who have no allotment or inheritance of their own.
African KalangaNgono ikoko mushathe mbeli kwa Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu, imwi ne bakololo benyu ne bakololokadzi benyu ne balandalume ne balandakadzi ne Nlevi umu mizi yenyu se asina gobe kene thaka mu mumuli.
- African Kalanga
Mube ne njele kuti musitongo pa zwibhayilo zwenyu zwinopisiwa pa bugalo gumwe ne gumwe gwamabona,
- English14
Offer them only at the place the Lord will choose in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I command you.
African Kalangakoga muyise ku bugalo gunowoshalugwa ndi Yahwe mu gumwe gwe ludzi gwenyu, ikoko ndiko kwamunowopila zwibhayilo zwenyu zwinopisiwa, ikoko ndiko kwamumowothamila kose kwandinomudwa.
- English15
Nevertheless, you may slaughter your animals in any of your towns and eat as much of the meat as you want, as if it were gazelle or deer, according to the blessing the Lord your God gives you. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it.
African Kalanga“Koga, imwi mungabulaya phuka mukaja nyama mu mmwe ne mmwe we mizi yenyu sekwa munoda kuyendidzana nge makombolelo a Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu abamupa, usimbuyanana ne mbuyanana ungayija, ingana ikabe ili ye phala kene ye phembgwe.
- African Kalanga
Koga musitongo ja malopa, muatebulile pasi se vula.
- English17
You must not eat in your own towns the tithe of your grain and new wine and oil, or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts.
African KalangaMusitongo jila mu mizi yenyu, tjebugumi tje mathunde kene tje nkumbi we zhambi kene tje mafuta kene mbano dze ng'ombe dzenyu kene dze ngubi dzenyu kene tjimwe tje zwibhayilo zwe kutuna zwamakatunila kene zwibhayilo zwenyu zwe kuda kwenyu, kene zwibhayilo zwamadusa nge kwenyu,
- English18
Instead, you are to eat them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place the Lord your God will choose–you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites from your towns–and you are to rejoice before the Lord your God in everything you put your hand to.
African Kalangakoga muzwijile mbeli kwa Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu mu bugalo gunowoshalugwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu, imwi ne bakololo benyu ne bakololokadzi benyu ne balandalume benyu ne balandakadzi benyu ne Nlevi umu mizi yenyu, ndizo mowoshatha mbeli kwa Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu mu tjimwe ne tjimwe tjamunothama.
- African Kalanga
Mube ne njele kuti musitongo siya Nlevi tjibaka tjose ha mutjila mu shango yenyu.
- English20
When the Lord your God has enlarged your territory as he promised you, and you crave meat and say, “I would like some meat,” then you may eat as much of it as you want.
African Kalanga“Kowoti Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu betalabudza ntuthu wenyu sekwa bakamugadzabgwe, ngono imwi mube muti, ‘Toshaka ja nyama,’ ngoti modwila moyo nyama, mungaja sekwa munoshaka.
- English21
If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put his Name is too far away from you, you may slaughter animals from the herds and flocks the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you, and in your own towns you may eat as much of them as you want.
African KalangaHa bugalo gwakashalugwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu kubiga zina labo ikoko kuli kule kule namwi, ipapo mungabulaya tjimwe tje zwithuwo zwenyu zwamakapiwa ndi Yahwe sekwa ndamudwa ngono muje mu mizi yenyu se kuda kwenyu.
- English22
Eat them as you would gazelle or deer. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat.
African KalangaSe phala ijiwa kene phembgwe, munga ija, usakatjenapala kene wakatjenapala kofanana aije.
- English23
But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.
African KalangaKoga mube ne malebeswa kuti amutoja malopa, ngoti malopa ndiwo butjilo ndizo musitongo jilanya nyama ne butjilo.
- African Kalanga
Musitongo aja muatebulile pasi se vula.
- English25
Do not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
African KalangaMusitongo aja, kuti ndiko kowomuyendila zubuyanana imwi ne bana benyu banozha shule kwenyu ha mushinga tjakalulwama mu mesho a Yahwe.
- English26
But take your consecrated things and whatever you have vowed to give, and go to the place the Lord will choose.
African KalangaKoga zwithu zwakayengemala zwinodwa kumuli ne zwibhayilo zwe kutuna muzwiyise ku bugalo gunowoshalugwa ndi Yahwe,
- English27
Present your burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord your God, both the meat and the blood. The blood of your sacrifices must be poured beside the altar of the Lord your God, but you may eat the meat.
African Kalangamuyise zwibhayilo zwenyu zwinopisiwa, kuli nyama ne malopa mu tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tja Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu. Malopa e zwibhayilo zwenyu atebuligwe pezhugwi kwe tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tja Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu koga nyama mungayija.
- English28
Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God.
African KalangaMube ne njele kulondolodza matama wose iyawa andinomupa kuti kumuyendile zubuyanana nge kusingapele imwi ne bana benyu banozha shule kwenyu ha mushinga tjakalulwama ne tjakatambunuka mu mesho a Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu.”
- English29
The Lord your God will cut off before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land,
African Kalanga“Kowoti Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu bepaladza njudzi mbeli kwenyu dzamunongina kudzitolela shango, ngono mube mudzitolela shango mube mugala muili,
- English30
and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.”
African Kalangamube ne njele kuti musiwile mu bhuzhu nge kubasala shule, shule kwe balobesiwa mbeli kwenyu. Musitongo bhuzwa tjimwe ngekwe midzimu yabo muti, ‘Njudzi idzedzi dzakabe dzishingila midzimu yadzo tjini kuti naswibo tithame tiyijalo?’
- English31
You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
African KalangaMusitongo thama muijalo kuna Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu ngoti tjimwe ne tjimwe tjinobengiwa tjisingadiwe ndi Yahwe bakatjithamila midzimu yabo ngoti bakabuya bakapisa bakololo ne bakololokadzi babo bepisila midzimu yabo.”
- African Kalanga
“Tjimwe ne tjimwe tjandinomupa muyele njele kutjithama, musitongo dusa tjimwe mu tjili kene mukatjipaphidza nge tjimwe.
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.