The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Deuteronomy 17English
Matama 17African Kalanga
- English1
Do not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep that has any defect or flaw in it, for that would be detestable to him.
African Kalanga“Musitongo bhayila Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu ng'ombe kene pkhwizi ina bulema, tjifo kene tjili tjakatini zwatjo ngoti ikoku koshimika kuna Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu.”
- English2
If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the Lord gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God in violation of his covenant,
African Kalanga“Ha ili kuti pakati kwenyu mu mmwe we mizi yenyu yamunopiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu kowanika nlume kene nkadzi unothama tjimwe tjakabipa mu mesho a Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu, etjinya tjidumano tjawo,
- English3
and contrary to my command has worshiped other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars of the sky,
African Kalangangono akayenda kanoshingila midzimu mimwe ngono kainamata, kuli zhuba kene mwedzi kene mibunga ye zhuzhugwi yandakadzibila,
- English4
and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel,
African Kalangamabudziwa ngono mawha ngekwatjo. Shakisisani, ngono ha kuli malebeswa kwakwako kuti tjinoshimika saikoku tjakashingwa mu Iziraela,
- English5
take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death.
African Kalangaipapo muzhise kumikoba yenyu nlume iwoyo kene nkadzi iwoyo wakathama tjithu itjetji tjakabipa ngono mukikithidze nlume iwoyu kene nkadzi iwoyu nge mabgwe afe.
- English6
On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.
African KalangaNge butendeki gwe batendeki babili kene batatu iye wakafanila kuti afe ngaabulawe, nthu asitongo bulawa nge butendeki gwe nthu nng'ompela.
- English7
The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you.
African KalangaMaboko e batendeki abe iwo e kutanga kumbulaya, shule kube kuzha maboko e bathu bose. Ndizo muduse tjibi pakati kwenyu.”
- English8
If cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to judge–whether bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults–take them to the place the Lord your God will choose.
African Kalanga“Ha kungabe ne ndebo yakasima mumuli, ingabe ye kubulayana kene ye kutjetana kene ye kukubadzana, ndebo imwe ne imwe koga mu mizi yenyu yakamusimila, ipapo mumilike muyende ku bugalo gunowoshalugwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu.
- English9
Go to the priests, who are Levites, and to the judge who is in office at that time. Inquire of them and they will give you the verdict.
African KalangaMuyende ku bapirisiti be Balevi ne ku nsumikilisi umu tjigalo mazhuba iyawo, mu bakumbile ngono banoleba nkumbulo wakalingisana.
- English10
You must act according to the decisions they give you at the place the Lord will choose. Be careful to do everything they direct you to do.
African KalangaIpapo muthame tjinodumana ne tjabamubudza kudwa mu bugalo igogo gunowoshalugwa ndi Yahwe, ngono mube ne njele kuthama tjinodumana na kose kwabamudwa.
- English11
Act according to the law they teach you and the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left.
African KalangaMuthame kuyendidzana ne milayo yabamupa, kudumane ne bheledzo labaleba kumuli, muthame sayikoko, musitongo pambuka mu kusumikilisa kwabaleba kumuli, musitongobuyila ku luji kene lumeshwe.
- English12
The man who shows contempt for the judge or for the priest who stands ministering there to the Lord your God must be put to death. You must purge the evil from Israel.
African KalangaNthu unothama tjinolambana ne mpirisiti umilile kushingila mbeli kwa Yahwe Ndzimu kene nsumikilisi unowofa, ndizo muduse tjibi mu Iziraela.
- African Kalanga
Ngono bathu bose banowowha bakatja bakasitongobe ne manyimwe kakale.
- English14
When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,”
African Kalanga“Uti waswika ku shango yaunopiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu uwo ngono ube ugala muili, ipapo ube uti, ‘Ndowozwibigila mambo se njudzi dzose dzakandipoteleka,’
- English15
be sure to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite.
African Kalangamalebeswa ungazwibigila mambo iye washalugwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu uwo. Ali unodwa mu bana ba tate babo ungambiga mambo wenyu, usitongozwibila ntaya.
- English16
The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.”
African KalangaKoga tjiyapo asizwiwatshile mbizi dzikabe njinji kene kathama kuti bathu babgwilile ku Egipiti benowatsha mbizi se Yahwe bakati kumuli, ‘Musitongo shandukila ikweno kakale.’
- English17
He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.
African KalangaKakale asitongo be ne bakadzi banjinji, moyo uwe udwa upambuka mu zila, naiko asitongo watsha siliva iye ne golide iye.”
- English18
When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites.
African Kalanga“Ngono ati egala pa tjigalo tje bumambo gugwe azwikwaligwe mu lukwalo ntutshi we nlayo iwoyu, kudwa muna umu maboko e bapirisiti be Balevi.
- English19
It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees
African KalangaAgale anawo ngono awubale mazhuba wose e butjilo gugwe kuti azwidiye kutja Yahwe Ndzimu uwe nge kulondolodza matama wose e nlayo eashinga,
- English20
and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
African Kalangakuti moyo uwe usitongomilidzika ezwiwana ali pezhugwi kwe bana batate babe ne kuti asitongo bhuda mu nlayo kayendila ku luji kene ku lumeshwe kuti adwilile tjibaka tjilefu mu bumambo gugwe, iye ne bana babe 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.