The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Deuteronomy 19English
Matama 19African Kalanga
- English1
When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations whose land he is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses,
African Kalanga“Kowoti Yahwe Ndzimu uwo belobesa njudzi dze shango Yahwe Ndzimu uwo yabanokupa, ube ubatata, ube ugala mu mizi yabo ne mu ng'umba dzabo,
- English2
then set aside for yourselves three cities centrally located in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
African Kalangaushalule mizi mitatu mu shango Yahwe Ndzimu uwo yabanokupa kuithuwa.
- English3
Build roads to them and divide into three parts the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that anyone who kills a man may flee there.
African KalangaUlulwamise zila, uthubulanye shango yaunopiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu uwo katatu, kuti nthu mmwe ne mmwe wabulaya atizhile ko.
- English4
This is the rule concerning the man who kills another and flees there to save his life–one who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought.
African Kalanga“Ngono mbulayi ungatizhilako kuti atjile ndi woyu; ndi wabulaya nthu kusinge mwaza, asakatongo bengana naye mu misi yakapinda.
- English5
For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life.
African KalangaNgatiti nlume unoyenda ku ishaka ne mbakidzani uwe kutema whuni, ebe emilidza shathu kutema nti ngono shathu libe lishomoka libe liloba mbakidzani uwe ebe efa, mbulayi ngaatizhile ku mmwe we mizi iyeyi kuzwitjidza,
- English6
Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought.
African Kalangambgwilizili we watebula malopa mu kugwadzamoyo kukwe kukulu asiti enlonda kambhata mu zila ngoti zila indefu, ebe embulaya nenguba abe asakalingisana ngofa, seakabe asi tjita ku mbakidzani uwe mu misi yakapinda.
- African Kalanga
Ndizo wali ndomudwa nditi shalulani mizi mikulu mitatu.
- English8
If the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he promised on oath to your forefathers, and gives you the whole land he promised them,
African KalangaNgono kowoti Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu betalabudza n'gathu wenyu sekwa bakagadzabgwe kupa botate benyu
- English9
because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today–to love the Lord your God and to walk always in his ways–then you are to set aside three more cities.
African Kalangakuyenda koga ngekuti mowobe muna njele kulondolodza nlayo iwoyu wandinomupa mu zhuba lino, mude Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu mutobele zila dzabo kuyenda kwakunoyenda, ngono mowopapha mizi mitatu nge mimwe mizi mikulu mitatu.
- English10
Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.
African KalangaMukuthame kuti malopa asina nlandu asitongo tebugwa mu shango iyeyi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu yabanomupa ili thaka kudwa kuthama kuti nlandu we kutebula malopa ube pezhugwi kwenyu.
- English11
But if a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him, assaults and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities,
African Kalanga“Koga ha nlume ebenga mbakidzani uwe ebe enlalila ebe emukila enkubadza ebe efa, ngono nlume iwoyo ebe etizhila ku mmwe we mizi iyeyi mikulu,
- English12
the elders of his town shall send for him, bring him back from the city, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die.
African Kalangaipapo sholotjena dze nzi nkulu kwaanodwa banowotuma batumwa kunontola ikoko, bebe benlonga mu maboko e mbgwilizili we watebula malopa kuti afe.
- English13
Show him no pity. You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with you.
African KalangaMusitongo n’whila ngoni, koga muduse nlandu we kutebula malopa asina nlandu mu Iziraela kuti kumuyendile zubuyanana.
- English14
Do not move your neighbor’s boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
African Kalanga“Mu thaka yamunowobe nayo mu shango iyeyi yamunopiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu kuithuwa, musitongo sedza n'gathu we mbakidzani wakatjekwa nge bawhola bantolo.
- English15
One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
African Kalanga“Ntendeki nn'gompela aazolizana kutendekela mmwe nthu kutilikwa nlandu mu tjimwe tjaathama kene tjibi tjimwe koga, butendeki gwe babili kene batatu ndigo gungabonesa nthu nlandu.
- African Kalanga
Ha ntendeki usakatambunuka emukila mmwe nthu etilika nlandu we tjimwe tjisiitjo,
- English17
the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time.
African Kalangaipapo bubili gwabo baboneke mbeli kwa Yahwe pa bapirisiti ne basumikilisi bakabhata mu mazhuba iyawo.
- English18
The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother,
African KalangaBasumikilisi bashakisise ngono ha ntendeki ali ntendeki we manyepkhwa ngono etilika mwana wa tate babe nlandu we manyepkhwa,
- English19
then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you.
African Kalangaipapo munthamile itjetjo tjaabe eshaka kutjithamila mwana wa tate babe, ndizo muduse bubi pakati kwenyu.
- English20
The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you.
African KalangaNgono bamwe banowowha ngono bakatja ngono bakasitongo thama mbipo yakajali pakati kwenyu.
- African Kalanga
Musitongo wha ngoni, kowobe butjilo gubhudila butjilo, zhisho libhudila zhisho, zhino libhudila zhino, tjiazha tjibhudila tjiazha ne gumbo libhudila gumbo.
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.