The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Deuteronomy 15English
Matama 15African Kalanga
- African Kalanga
“Kubupelo gwe makole mamwe ne mamwe ali kutendeka musunungule banomukolota.
- English2
This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed.
African KalangaZila ye kusunungula ikoku ndieyi, unowosunungula tjimwe ne tjimwe tjaakaadzima mbakidzani uwe, asibile mbakidzani uwe, mwana wa tate babe ngoti kusunungula kwa Yahwe kwalebgwa.
- English3
You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your brother owes you.
African KalangaUngabila ntaya koga tjimwe tjitjo kene tjilini tjiku mwana wa tate babo utjisunungule.
- English4
However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you,
African KalangaKoga akutowobe ne nshayi pakati kwenyu ngoti Yahwe banowomukombolela mu shango Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu yabanomupa kube thaka yenyu,
- English5
if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today.
African Kalangaha ungawha whi la Yahwe Ndzimu uwo ukabe ne njele kulondolodza milayo yose yandinomupa mu zhuba lino.
- English6
For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.
African KalangaKana Yahwe Ndzimu uwo banowokukombolela sekwa bakakugadzabgwe ngono uwoadzima njudzi njinji koga iwe autowoadzima kakale unowobusa njudzi njinji koga idzo adzitowokubusa.
- English7
If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.
African Kalanga“Ha kuli kuti kuna nshayi pakati kwenyu, mmwe we bana ba tate benyu mu mmwe we mizi yenyu mu shango yenyu yamunopiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu usitongokukutadza moyo uwo kene ukanyima mwana wa tate babo unosheta,
- African Kalanga
koga unzhulile tjiazha ube un'adzima tjakalizana kusheta kukwe kusingati tjimwe kuti ini.
- English9
Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin.
African KalangaUyele njele kuti kusitongobe ne nkumbulo mbiimbi mu moyo uwo ngono ube uti ‘Gole le butendeka, gole le kusunungula labe pejo,’ ube ube ne nkumbulo wakabipa ku mwana wa tate babo unosheta, ngono ube usingampe tjimwe, ngono ebe elilila kuna Yahwe nge kuko ngono kube kube tjibi kukuli.
- English10
Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.
African KalangaUmpe wakusununguka kusi nge meya dzakabhaya mbadu ngoti ngekwa ikoku Yahwe Ndzimu uwo banowokukombolela mu nshingo uwo wose ne mu tjimwe ne tjimwe tjaunothama.
- English11
There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.
African KalangaBashayi banowogala balipo tjibaka tjose mu shango, ndizo wali ndokulaya nditi uzhulile mwana wa tate babo tjiazha tjitjo, kuna unosheta kene nshayi mu shango.
- English12
If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself to you and serves you six years, in the seventh year you must let him go free.
African Kalanga“Ha mwana wa tate babo, N'hebheru we tjilume kene N'hebheru we tjikadzi angatengesiwa kukuli, akushingile makole ali kutathatu, mu gole le butendeka unletje ayende akasununguka.
- African Kalanga
Ngono uti unletja eyenda akasununguka usinletje eyenda asina tja akabhata.
- English14
Supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to him as the Lord your God has blessed you.
African KalangaUmpe kuli kunjinji kudwa mu ngubi iyo ne kunodwa paunoshokolela ne paunoswinila nkumbi we zhambi kuyendidzana ne sekwa Yahwe bakakukombolela.
- English15
Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.
African KalangaUkumbule kuti wakabe uli nlanda mu shango ye Egipiti ngono Yahwe Ndzimu uwo bakakudzutunula, ndizo ndokulaya nasi.
- English16
But if your servant says to you, “I do not want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and is well off with you,
African KalangaKoga ha angati kukuli, ‘Imi anditoyenda,’ ngoti ekuda kakale eda nsha uwo ngoti etjila nawe zwakanaka,
- English17
then take an awl and push it through his ear lobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your maidservant.
African Kalangaipapo utole lunji upubule zebe iye pa nkoba ngono unowobe nlanda uwo kusingapele. Ku nlanda uwo we tjikadzi uthamebo kunufanana.
- English18
Do not consider it a hardship to set your servant free, because his service to you these six years has been worth twice as much as that of a hired hand. And the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
African KalangaNgakusikulemele ha unletja eyenda ngoti wakakushingila makole ali kutathatu kunolizana tjibaka tje nshingi wakatapiwa kabili. Ndizo Yahwe Ndzimu uwo banowokukombolela mu tjimwe ne tjimwe tjaunoshinga.
- English19
Set apart for the Lord your God every firstborn male of your herds and flocks. Do not put the firstborn of your oxen to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep.
African Kalanga“ ‘Mbano dzose ndume dzazwagwa nge ng'ombe dzidzo ne pkhwizi ne mbudzi dzidzo udziyengemadzile Yahwe Ndzimu uwo, usitongo shingisa tjimwe mbano dze ng'ombe dzidzo kene kuli kukera mbano dze pkhwizi dzidzo kene mbudzi dzidzo.
- English20
Each year you and your family are to eat them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose.
African KalangaUzwijile mbeli kwa Yahwe, iwe ne nsha uwo gole ne gole pa bugalo Yahwe gwabanowo shalula.
- English21
If an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.
African KalangaKoga ha zwina zwifo, ha zwili zwilema kene mapofu, kene tjifo tjimwe koga tjikulukulu usitongo bhayila Yahwe Ndzimu uwo.
- English22
You are to eat it in your own towns. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it, as if it were gazelle or deer.
African KalangaMuzwijile mu mizi yenyu, usimbuyanana ne mbuyanana kofanana ungaja kufanana koga sekungabe kuli phala kene phembgwe.
- African Kalanga
Koga musitongo ja malopa adzo muatebulile pasi se vula.’ ”
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.