The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Deuteronomy 25English
Matama 25African Kalanga
- English1
When men have a dispute, they are to take it to court and the judges will decide the case, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty.
African Kalanga“Ha kuna kunyanyayidzana pakati kwe balume ngono bebe bezha ku lubazhe, basumikilisi bebe bebasumikilisa besunungula usina nlandu betilika wathama nlandu nlandu uwe,
- English2
If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall make him lie down and have him flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime deserves,
African Kalangaipapo nlume una nlandu ha kwakalingisana kuti alobgwe, nsumikilisi athame kuti akhwathe alobgwe aliyapo shamu dzakalizana nlandu uwe.
- English3
but he must not give him more than forty lashes. If he is flogged more than that, your brother will be degraded in your eyes.
African KalangaAlobgwe shamu dzili makumi ali manna (40) koga dzisitongo pinda. Ha angalobgwa shamu dzinopinda idzedzi mwana wa tate benyu unowobe alengudzika mu mesho enyu.”
- African Kalanga
“Musitongo sunga nlomo we ngabe inoshokola mathunde enyu.”
- English5
If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her.
African Kalanga“Ha bana be nthu begala bose ngono mmwe wabo ebe efa asina nkololo, nkadzi we nfi asitongo lobogwa kuzhe kwe nsha nge ntaya, mwana wa tate babe ngaan'gale thaka abe nkadzi uwe athame nshingo we mwana wa tate babe.
- English6
The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.
African KalangaNgono nkololo we kutanga nge nkadzi uwoyu unowotola zina le mwana wa tate babe wakatjinyika kuti zina lile lisife mu Iziraela.
- English7
However, if a man does not want to marry his brother’s wife, she shall go to the elders at the town gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to carry on his brother’s name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me.”
African KalangaNgono ha nlume iwoyo asingashake kulobola nkadzi we mwana wa tate babe, ipapo nkadzi we mwana wa tate babe ayende ku nkoba we nzi ku sholotjena adzidwe ati, ‘Mwana wa tate be nlume wangu aadi kudwilidza zina le mwana wa tate babe mu Iziraela, aatowoshinga nshingo we mwana wa tate be nlume wangu kundili.’
- English8
Then the elders of his town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, “I do not want to marry her,”
African KalangaIpapo sholotjena dze nzi banowon'dana bebe belebeleka naye ngono ha edwilila elamba eti, ‘Anditoyemula kuntola.’
- English9
his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, “This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother’s family line.”
African KalangaIpapo nkadzi we mwana wa tate babe ayende kunli sholotjena dziliyapo abe embula khwebana dzidze mu makumbo, abe enthwila mate mu buso ngono eshandula eti, ‘Ndiko ikoku kunowothamiwa mu nlume usingabake ng'umba ye mwana wa tate babe.’
- African Kalanga
Zina le nsha uwo mu Iziraela lowodang'wa kuyi, ‘Nsha we wakaambugwa khwebana.’ ”
- English11
If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts,
African Kalanga“Ha nlume egwa ne mmwe nlume ngono nkadzi we mmwe wabo ebe esedzela pejo kubhatsha nlume uwe mu maboko eunonloba ngono ebe etambunudza luboko gugwe embhata mbeli,
- African Kalanga
ipapo muthubule luboko gugwe, musitongobe ne ngoni.”
- African Kalanga
“Usitongobe ne zwilizanyo zwinolizanya bulemo zwili zwibili mu whomo iyo, tjilizanyo tjikulu ne tjitukununu.
- African Kalanga
Usitongobe ne zwilizanyo zwinoyela zwe mbumbiko mbili mu ng'umba iyo, tjikulu ne tjitukunu.
- English15
You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
African KalangaUbe ne tjilizanyo tje bulemo tjizhele tjakatambunuka ne tjilizanyo tjinoyela tjizhele tjakatambunuka, ikoku kowoyita kuti mazhuba awo abe manjinji mu shango yaunopiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu uwo.
- African Kalanga
Ngoti bose banothama zwithu zwakajali, bose banoshingisa bupitipiti banoshimisa kuna Yahwe Ndzimu uwo.
- African Kalanga
“Kumbulani Baamaleki tjabakamuthama muli mu zila mudwa ku Egipiti,
- English18
When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and cut off all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God.
African Kalangasekwa bakamunginilila muli mu zila pamakabe manyala mutimbama, bakathubula bose shule kwenyu bakabe bezwikweba bali shule kwenyu ngono basingatje Ndzimu.
- English19
When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!
African KalangaNdizo wali kuti Yahwe Ndzimu uwo bakupa kunyaluluka mu zwita zwenyu zose zwakakupoteleka mu shango Yahwe Ndzimu uwo yabanokupa kube thaka iyo kuithuwa, ubukushe ikumbuludzo tjinokumbudza zina le Baamaleki pasi kwe kudzimu, usitongo kangang'wa.
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.