The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Deuteronomy 24English
Matama 24African Kalanga
- English1
If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house,
African Kalanga“Ha nlume etola nkadzi enlobola ngono shule ebe ewana asingatjan'de ngoti awana tjimwe tjisiitjo mu nli tjaasinga shake, ngono ebe enkwalila lukwalo gwe kunlamba ebe empa igo entata mu ng'umba iye, iye ebe ebhuda mu ng'umba eyenda.
- African Kalanga
Ngono ha angayenda ebe elobogwa nge mmwe nlume,
- English3
and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies,
African Kalanganlume we bubili ebe asingan'de enkwalila lukwalo gwe kunlamba ebe empa igo entata mu ng'umba iye kene nlume iwoyu we bubili anlobola ebe efa,
- English4
then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
African Kalangaipapo nlume uwe we kutanga iwoyu wakantata asitongo ntola kunlobola kakale kube nkadzi uwe shule kwe atemapadziwa ngoti ikoku koshimisa mbeli kwa Yahwe ngono usitongo zhisa nlandu mu shango yaunopiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu uwo kuithuwa.
- English5
If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.
African Kalanga“Ha nlume atjambo lobola, asitongo bhuda kayenda ku ngwa, asipiwe mmwe nshingo, ngaasununguke abe mu nzi gole ling'ompela ashathise nkadzi uwe waakatola.
- English6
Do not take a pair of millstones–not even the upper one–as security for a debt, because that would be taking a man’s livelihood as security.
African Kalanga“Kusibe ne unotola gwiyilo kene tjibgwana ebhatila tjaadzimiwa munli, ngoti unowobe etola butjilo egubhata.
- English7
If a man is caught kidnapping one of his brother Israelites and treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from among you.
African Kalanga“Ha nlume angawang'wa ekwiba mmwe we bana ba tate babe, bathu be Iziraela, ngono ha embhata se nlanda kene entengesa, ipapo mbava iyeyo ngayife, ndizo muduse mbipo pakati kwenyu.
- English8
In cases of leprous diseases be very careful to do exactly as the priests, who are Levites, instruct you. You must follow carefully what I have commanded them.
African Kalanga“Muyele njele ha munginiligwa nge mapele, muyele njele kuthama kose kwamunowodwiwa nge bapirisiti be Balevi sekwa ndakabalaya, ndizo muyele njele kuthama.
- African Kalanga
Kumbula Yahwe Ndzimu uwo tjabakathama kuna Miriyamu mu zila sekwa makabe muli mu zila mubhuda ku Egipiti.
- English10
When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into his house to get what he is offering as a pledge.
African Kalanga“Uti uadzima mbakidzani uwo tjimwe, usitongo ngina mu ng'umba iye unotola tjaanokubhatisa mu bumo gwe tjawan'adzima.
- African Kalanga
Iwe ume kuzhe ngono nlume waunoadzima unowozhisa kuzhe tjinobhatila tjaadzimiwa kukuli.
- African Kalanga
Ha ali nshayi usitongo lala ne tjaakubhatisa,
- English13
Return his cloak to him by sunset so that he may sleep in it. Then he will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the Lord your God.
African Kalangazhuba liti limila ubgwilize kunli tjaakubhatisa kuti alale akafuka ngono akukombolele ngono kowobe ndulamo kukuli mbeli kwa Yahwe Ndzimu uwo.
- English14
Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns.
African Kalanga“Usitongo tshambilidza nlanda wakatapiwa ali nshayi kakale esheta, ali mmwe we bana ba tate babo kene ali mmwe we balubili bamu shango yenyu mu mizi yenyu.
- English15
Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
African KalangaUmpe tjaakatapigwa tjibaka tjakalingisana zhuba lisathu likangina ngoti nshayi wakabiga moyo uwe mutjili asitongo dwa elilila kuna Yahwe nge kuko ngono kube kube tjibi kukuli.”
- English16
Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.
African Kalanga“Botate basitongo bulaigwa bana babo kene bana bebulaigwa botate babo, mmwe ne mmwe ngaabulaigwe tjibi tjitje.”
- English17
Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge.
African Kalanga“Musitongo leyanya tjakatambunukila nlubili kene siyang'wa, kene kuli kutola tjiambalo tje tjilikadzi.
- English18
Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.
African KalangaKoga ukumbule kuti wakabe uli nlanda mu Egipiti ngono Yahwe Ndzimu uwo ukakudzutunula kudwa ikoko, ndizo ndokulaya kuthama ikoku.
- English19
When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
African Kalanga“Uti uvuna zwivuno mu minda iyo, ngono ube ukangang'wa mbumba mu nnda usibgwilile kuwutola, unowobe we nlubili kene siyang'wa kene tjilikadzi kuyita kuti Yahwe Ndzimu uwo bakukombolele mu mishingo yose ye maboko awo.
- English20
When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow.
African KalangaUti upula mitoba iyo usibgwilulule thabi kakale, kwasala kowobe kwe nlubili ne siyang'wa ne tjilikadzi.
- English21
When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow.
African KalangaHa utjela zhambi mu mizhambi iyo, usitongo ibgwilulula utjela kakale shule, kwasala kowobe kwe nlubili ne siyang'wa ne tjilikadzi.
- African Kalanga
Ukumbule kuti wakabe uli nlanda mu Egipiti, ndizo wali ndimulaya kuthama ikoku.”
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.