The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Deuteronomy 20English
Matama 20African Kalanga
- English1
When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.
African Kalanga“Kuti ha muyenda kugwa ne zwita zwenyu, mube mubona mbizi ne koloyi dze ngwa ne ngwa whulu pana yenyu musitongo zwitja, ngoti Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu banamwi ibo bakamudusa mu shango ye Egipiti.
- African Kalanga
Ngono muti musedzela pejo ne ngwa, mpirisiti azhe mbeli alebeleke ne bathu,
- English3
He shall say: “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them.
African Kalangaabadwe ati, ‘Iwhani imwi Baiziraela, masedzela pejo ne ngwa kugwa ne zwita zwenyu mu zhuba lino, musitongo paluka moyo, musitje kene kuli kutetema kene kubazeeza,
- English4
For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”
African Kalangangoti Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu ndibo banoyenda namwi kumugwila ne zwita zwenyu, kumupa kukunda.’
- English5
The officers shall say to the army: “Has anyone built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may dedicate it.
African KalangaIpapo makulukota anowolebeleka ne bathu eti, ‘Ndiwupi nlume mumuli wakabaka ng'umba iye tshwa ngono usathu kaizhula? Ngaabgwilile ku ng'umba iye pamwe unodwa efa mu ngwa ngono mmwe nlume ebe eizhula.
- English6
Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it.
African KalangaKene ndiani nlume uyipapa wakalima nnda we zhambi ngono usathu kaja mitjelo yawo? Ngaabgwilile ku ng'umba iye ngoti pamwe ungadwa efa mu ngwa ngono mmwe nlume esala eja mitjelo.
- English7
Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her.”
African KalangaKakale ndiani nlume uipapa wakabigilidza nkadzi ngono usathu kankotosa? Ngaabgwilile ku ng'umba iye ngoti pamwe ungadwa efa mu ngwa ngono mmwe nlume esala enkotosa.’
- English8
Then the officers shall add, “Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his brothers will not become disheartened too.”
African KalangaNgono makulukota ngabalebeleke kakale ne bathu ati, ‘Ndiani nlume uipapa unotja etetema moyo? Ngaabgwilile ku ng'umba iye ngoti moyo ye bakwinya babe inodwa inyawuka seuwe.’
- English9
When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.
African KalangaNgono kuti makulukota apedza kulebeleka ne bathu, ipapo batungamili be babhayani bashalugwe batungamile bathu.
- African Kalanga
“Uti usedzela pa nzi kubhayana nawo, ukumbile mbakisano mu uli.
- English11
If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you.
African KalangaNgono ha shandulo yawo ili ye mbakisano ngono bezwipa kukuli, ipapo bathu bose banowang'wa muuli babe bashingili babo bakushingile.
- African Kalanga
Koga nzi usingathame mbakisano nawe koga uthama ngwa nawe, ipapo uukombe nge ngwa,
- African Kalanga
ngono kuti Yahwe Ndzimu uwo beulonga mu maboko awo ubulaye balume bose bamuuli,
- English14
As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the Lord your God gives you from your enemies.
African Kalangakoga bakadzi ne batukununu ne ng'ombe ne tjimwe ne tjimwe mu nzi nkulu, thundu yawo yose uitole kube iyo yose ushathisiwe nge thundu ye zwita zwizo yawapiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu uwo.
- English15
This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.
African KalangaUthame uyijalo ku mizi mikulu yose ikulekule nawe isi mizi ye njudzi idzedzi dzipano.
- English16
However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes.
African KalangaKoga mu mizi mikulu ye bathu ibaba iyeyi yaunopiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu uwo kube thaka, kushete tjimwe tjinotjila tjinofema tjaunosiya,
- English17
Completely destroy them–the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites–as the Lord your God has commanded you.
African Kalangakoga ubalobese tjoselele, Bahiti ne Baamori ne Bakanana ne Baperizi ne Bahivi ne Bajebusi Yahwe Ndzimu uwo sekwa bakalaula,
- English18
Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God.
African Kalangakuti basitongodwa bemudiya kuthama kunoyendidzana ne mishingo yabo inoshimisa yabakashinga mu kushingila midzimu yabo, ngono nge kwaikoko mudwa mutjinyila Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu.
- English19
When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees of the field people, that you should besiege them?
African Kalanga“Ha ungakomba nzi nge ngwa tjibaka tjilefu, kuti uutole usitjinye miti yawo nge kuitema nge shathu, ngoti ungaja mitjelo yayo kusi kuitema. Apa miti imu minda bathu baakafanila kukomba kene?
- English20
However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls.
African KalangaMiti yamunoziba kuti ayitojiwa koga ndiyo yamungatema mubaka ndiyo zwamunoshingisa mu kukomba nzi kudzina muwutola.
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.