The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Deuteronomy 21English
Matama 21African Kalanga
- English1
If a man is found slain, lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him,
African Kalanga“Ha kungati mu shango iyeyi yaunopiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu uwo kuithuwa kukawang'wa mmwe akabulawa ali mu shango, kusingazibgwe kuti wakabulawa ndiani,
- English2
your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to the neighboring towns.
African Kalangaipapo sholotjena dzidzo ne basumikilisi babo bazhe ipapo, ngono babale thambo kuyenda ku mizi mikulu yakapoteleka wakabulawa
- English3
Then the elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked and has never worn a yoke
African Kalangangono sholotjena dze nzi upejo ne nlume wakabulawa banowotola pholombe ye ng'ombe isakatongo shingisiwa tjimwe, isathu ikatongo kweba nge jokwi.
- English4
and lead her down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and where there is a flowing stream. There in the valley they are to break the heifer’s neck.
African KalangaNgono sholotjena dze nzi nkulu iwoyo bayise pholombe ku nkuku una vula inowunga usakatongo limiwa kene kukadzwagwa muuli ngono bavune ntshibha we pholombe mu nkuku iwoyo.
- English5
The priests, the sons of Levi, shall step forward, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name of the Lord and to decide all cases of dispute and assault.
African KalangaNgono bapirisiti, bakololo ba Levi bazhe ipapo ngoti Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu bakabashalula kubashingila ne kukombolela mu zina la Yahwe, kuyendidzana ne dama labaleba kunyanyayidzana kumwe ne kumwe ne kugwisana kumwe ne kumwe kugadzikane.
- English6
Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley,
African KalangaIpapo sholotjena dzose dze nzi iwoyo upejo ne nlume wakabulawa bangulile maboko abo pezhugwi kwe pholombe iyeyo yakavung'wa ntshibha mu nkuku,
- African Kalanga
ngono batendeke beti, ‘Maboko edu aazotebula malopa iyawa, nenge mesho edu dumbu aazobona malopa iyawa etebugwa.
- English8
Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, O Lord, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent man.” And the bloodshed will be atoned for.
African KalangaImwi Yahwe mu bazwiibhatigwe bathu benyu Baiziraela, ibo bamakadzutunula, ngono musibige nlandu we kutebula malopa asina nlandu pakati kwe bathu benyu Baiziraela, koga nlandu we kutebula malopa ngabawuzwiibhatigwe.’
- English9
So you will purge from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
African KalangaNdizo muduse nlandu we kutebula malopa asina nlandu pakati kwenyu, ha mushinga tjakalulwama mu mesho a Yahwe.
- English10
When you go to war against your enemies and the Lord your God delivers them into your hands and you take captives,
African Kalanga“Muti muyenda ku ngwa kunogwa ne zwita zwenyu, ngono Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu bebe bebalonga mu maboko enyu ngono mube mubatapa,
- English11
if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife.
African Kalangangono pakati kwe batapiwa mmwe ebe ebona nkadzi wakanaka ebe eyemula, en'yemulila kunlobola,
- African Kalanga
ipapo unonzhisa ku nzi uwe ku ng'umba iye ngono nkadzi atesele nsholo uwe, athubule womba dzidze.
- English13
and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured. After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife.
African KalangaNgono ambule zwiambalo zwizwe zwe butapiwa agale mu ng'umba iye alilile tate babe na mmeyabe mwedzi wose uzhele. Shule kwa ipapo ungashangana naye kabe nlume uwe iye kabe nkadzi uwe.
- English14
If you are not pleased with her, let her go wherever she wishes. You must not sell her or treat her as a slave, since you have dishonored her.
African KalangaIpapo ha asingakushathise unletje ayende kwaanoda, koga usitongo ntengesa nge mari, usitongo mbhata se nlanda se iwe wanlengudza wali.
- English15
If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other, and both bear him sons but the firstborn is the son of the wife he does not love,
African Kalanga“Ha nlume ana bakadzi babili, mmwe wabo ediwa mmwe asingadiwe, ngono bose unodiwa ne usingadiwe bakanzwalila bana, ngono ha mbano ili ye nkadzi usingadiwe,
- English16
when he wills his property to his sons, he must not give the rights of the firstborn to the son of the wife he loves in preference to his actual firstborn, the son of the wife he does not love.
African Kalangangono mu zhuba laanotshwayila bakololo thundu iye kube lukata, asitongo tola nkololo we nkadzi unodiwa se mbano etjebela we nkadzi usingadiwe iye ali we mbano.
- English17
He must acknowledge the son of his unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a double share of all he has. That son is the first sign of his father’s strength. The right of the firstborn belongs to him.
African KalangaKoga atole mbano ili mbano, nkololo we nkadzi usingadiwe nge kumpa gobe kabili muna zose zwaanazo ngoti ndiye mbano iye, fanilo dze mbano dzakanlingisana.
- English18
If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him,
African Kalanga“Ha nlume ana nkololo usingawhe ali mpanduki, asingawhilile whi la tate babe kene whi la mmeyabe, kene bentjemela asingabawhilile,
- English19
his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town.
African Kalangaipapo tate babe na mmeyabe bambhate ban'yise ku sholotjena dze nzi nkulu ku nkoba we kwaanogala.
- English20
They shall say to the elders, “This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a drunkard.”
African KalangaNgono badwe sholotjena dze nzi nkulu bati, ‘Nkololo wedu iwoyu aatowha kakale mpanduki, aatowha tjatinon'dwa, igovu kakale tjilaladzi.’
- English21
Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid.
African KalangaIpapo balume bose be nzi nkulu bankikithidze nge mabgwe afe, ndizo muduse mbipo pakati kwenyu, ngono Iziraela yose inowowha ngono bakatja.
- African Kalanga
“Ha nlume angathama jinyo lakalizana shamu ye lufu ngono ebe ebulawa, mube munlembeledza mu nti,
- English23
you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
African Kalangambili uwe usilembeleke busiku gose mu nti, koga mu mbiganye mu zhuba ilelo ngoti nlume wafa ngolembeledziwa walongwa bhiso nge Ndzimu, musitongo temapadza shango yenyu yamapiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu kube thaka yenyu.
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.