The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Deuteronomy 32English
Matama 32African Kalanga
- African Kalanga
“Whilila iwe kudzimu ngono ndowolebeleka, shango ngayiwhe matama e nlomo wangu.
- English2
Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.
African KalangaKudiya kwangu ngakune se vula, ndebeleko yangu iwe se khawa, se vula inona mu bushwa gutjibutshwa, ne masusu mu mazhani.
- African Kalanga
Ngoti ndowoleba zina la Yahwe. Gudzo ulipe Ndzimu.
- English4
He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.
African Kalanga“Iye i Shongwe, nshingo uwe wakapelela, ngoti zila dzidze dzose dzakatambunuka. Ndzimu we kugagwabgwe usina jinyo, wakatambunuka wakalulwama.
- English5
They have acted corruptly toward him; to their shame they are no longer his children, but a warped and crooked generation.
African KalangaBakanshingila mbipo, abatji bana babe ngekwe mbipo yabo, ba tjizekugwana tjakaleleka.
- English6
Is this the way you repay the Lord, O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?
African KalangaNdiyo zila yaunolipa Yahwe ndiyo iyeyi? Imwi bathu bezwilengwe? Apa ate baliyibo Tate benyu, Mbumbi wenyu, ibo bakamubumba kene?
- English7
Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.
African KalangaKumbulani mazhuba a ntolo, alakana makole e zwizekugwana zwinjinji, bhuzwa tate babo ngono banowokulakidza, bakulu babo, ngono banowokubudza.
- English8
When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel.
African KalangaKwakati Upezhugwizhugwi epa njudzi thaka yadzo, paakabe ethubukanya bakololo be balume, wakatjeka migathu ye bathu, kuyendidzana ne mbalo ye bakololo be Ndzimu.
- African Kalanga
Ngoti gobe la Yahwe bathu babo, Jakubo iye thaka yabo.
- English10
In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye,
African Kalanga“Bakan'wana mu tjilambanyika, mu tjilambanyika tjakathukudzika, ngono bakambakilila, bakan'tjengeta, bakan'tjengeta se shanga ye zhisho labo.
- English11
like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions.
African KalangaSe dzu lizunguza shaka lalo, liyengelela pezhugwi kwe majindana alo, litambunudza mapapilo alo, liabhata, liasenga na pezhugwi kwe mapapilo alo,
- African Kalanga
Yahwe boga ndibo bakabatungamila, ngono kwakabe kusina ndzimu wakabe unabo.
- English13
He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag,
African KalangaBakabathama kuti batathile ku magalo apezhugwi e shango, ngono bakaja zwakadwa mu minda, bakabathama kuti bang'we butji mu shongwe ne mafuta abo adwe mu shongwe.
- English14
with curds and milk from herd and flock and with fattened lambs and goats, with choice rams of Bashan and the finest kernels of wheat. You drank the foaming blood of the grape.
African KalangaMashwe anodwa mu ng'ombe, ne nkaka kudwa mu ngubi, ne mafuta e pkhwizana ne nyundo, ng'ombe dze Bhashani ne mbudzi, ne koroni mbuya kupindisa, ne ntubgwi we zhambi wamunong'wa uli nkumbi.
- English15
Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. He abandoned the God who made him and rejected the Rock his Savior.
African Kalanga“Koga Jeshuruni kakola, kathulana, wakola, wabe nkodu wamonyoka. Ngono wakafupatila Ndzimu iwo wakanthama, ebe edadila Shongwe ye jidzo lile.
- African Kalanga
Bakabadzonga kuti babe ne fupa ku midzimu mimwe, bakabagwadzisa moyo nge zwiyito zwinoshimika.
- English17
They sacrificed to demons, which are not God–gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your fathers did not fear.
African KalangaBakadusila zwibhayilo madimoni asi midzimu, ku midzimu yabasakatongo ziba, ku midzimu mitshwa yakanginilila ngwenu, bobatategulu benyu yabasakatongoziba.
- African Kalanga
Makadusa Shongwe yakamubumba mu mikumbulo yenyu, mukakangang'wa Ndzimu wakamutshibama.
- African Kalanga
“Yahwe bakakubona ikoku ngono bakabalasha, ngekwe kutanga kwe bakololo ne bakololokadzi babo.
- English20
“I will hide my face from them,” he said, “and see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children who are unfaithful.
African KalangaNgono bakabe beti, ‘Ndowobasumbikila buso gwangu, ndowobona kuti bhelelo labo ndilipi, ngoti ba tjizekugwana tjakakombama, bana basina kugalikamoyo.
- English21
They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols. I will make them envious by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.
African KalangaBakandidzonga kuti ndibe ne fupa ngekwe tjisi ndzimu, banditanga nge midzimu yabo ye zwifano. Nami ndowodzonga fupa la ibabo basi bathu, ndowobatanga ne itjaba tje tjilengwe.
- English22
For a fire has been kindled by my wrath, one that burns to the realm of death below. It will devour the earth and its harvests and set afire the foundations of the mountains.
African KalangaNgoti moto wabhatidziwa nge kugwadzamoyo kwangu, ngono unopisa unginilila kusi kwe shango, ube uja shango ne zwizwalo zwayo, ube ubhatidza moto mu thiwa dze matombo.’
- African Kalanga
“Ngono ndowobutitika mbipo pezhugwi kwabo, ndowoshingisa misebe yangu mubali.
- English24
I will send wasting famine against them, consuming pestilence and deadly plague; I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts, the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.
African KalangaBanowondesiwa nge bhamba, bakajiwa nge kupisa kukulu, ne bugwele gunolilita, kakale ndowotumila meno e zwibandana kubali, ne bushungu gwe zwithu zwinokambayila mu whuluba.
- English25
In the street the sword will make them childless; in their homes terror will reign. Young men and young women will perish, infants and gray-haired men.
African KalangaPakazhuka thumo lowothama bafigwa, ngono mu ng'umba kowobepo kutja, kulobesiwa batjetjana ne phandala, shabana dzinomwa ne sholotjena.”
- African Kalanga
Ndingabe ndakati, “Ndowobapaladzila kule, ndowothama kukumbugwa kwabo kupele pakati kwe bathu,
- English27
but I dreaded the taunt of the enemy, lest the adversary misunderstand and say, ‘Our hand has triumphed; the Lord has not done all this.’”
African Kalangaha ndakabe ndisatja kudadigwa nge zwita, ngoti zodwa zwiwhila ntome, ngoti zwingadwa zwiti, ‘Takunda, Yahwe abazothama kose ikoku.’
- African Kalanga
“Ngoti ibo ba ludzi gusina ikumbuludzo, ngono akuna kuwhisisa mu bali.
- African Kalanga
Ha bakabe bakatjenjela, bangabe bewhisisa ikoku, banobe bebona bhelelo labo!
- English30
How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the Lord had given them up?
African KalangaKothamikala tjini kuti ng'ompela atate bali tjiwulu, ne kuthama kuti bali zwiwulu zwili gumi batizhe, kuzhe kwe kuti Shongwe yabo yabatengesa, ngono Yahwe babazwilandula?
- African Kalanga
Ngoti shongwe yabo ayitonga Shongwe yedu koga zwita zwedu zopedzisa sa ikoku.
- English32
Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are filled with poison, and their clusters with bitterness.
African KalangaNgoti nzhambi wabo unodwa mu nzhambi we Sodoma ne mu minda ye Gomora. Zhambi dzabo dzizhele bushungu, mitjelo yayo inobaba.
- African Kalanga
Nkumbi wabo we zhambi bushungu gwe nyoka, ne bushungu gwakabipa gwe zwipakupaku.
- African Kalanga
“Apa ikoku akuzobigwa pandili, akuzozhaliligwa mu matula angu kene?
- English35
It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”
African KalangaKubgwilizila nge kwangu, ne mbuzilo, mu tjibaka makumbo abo paanosodzoloka, ngoti zhuba le kuwigwa nge mbatsha lasendela, ngono ndashiko yabo inozha nge lubilo.
- English36
The Lord will judge his people and have compassion on his servants when he sees their strength is gone and no one is left, slave or free.
African KalangaYahwe banowopembedza bathu babo bakabe ne ngoni ku balanda babo, ha bebona kuti simba labo lapela, ngono kusina wasala, nsungwa kene wakasununguka.
- African Kalanga
Ipapo banowoti, ‘Midzimu yabo ingayi, shongwe yabakatizhila muili,
- English38
the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up to help you! Let them give you shelter!
African Kalangamidzimu yakaja mafuta e zwibhayilo zwabo, ing'wa nkumbi we tjibhayilo tjabo tje tjing'o? Ngaimilike imubhatshe, ngayibe mbakililo yenyu!
- English39
“See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.
African Kalanga“ ‘Bonani ngwenu kuti imi, imi nge kwangu, ndimi iye, ngono akuna ndzimu kuzhe kwangu, ndobulaya abuya atjidza, ndokubadza abuya apodza, ngono akuna ungasunungula tjimu tjiazha tjangu.
- African Kalanga
Ngoti ndomilidzila tjiazha tjangu kudzimu, ndibe ndituna nditi, se nditjila kusingapele,
- English41
when I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me.
African Kalangaha ndikuswa bukanu gwangu gunopenyelela, ngono tjiazha tjangu sumikilisa, ndowobgwilizila zwita zwangu, ndibe ndibuzila ibabo banondibenga.
- English42
I will make my arrows drunk with blood, while my sword devours flesh: the blood of the slain and the captives, the heads of the enemy leaders.”
African KalangaNdowothama kuti misebe yangu ilaladzisiwe nge malopa, ngono bukanu gwangu gowoja nyama ne malopa ebabulawa ne batapiwa, kudwa mu misholo ina mavudzi malefu ye zwita.’
- English43
Rejoice, O nations, with his people,, for he will avenge the blood of his servants; he will take vengeance on his enemies and make atonement for his land and people.
African Kalanga“Lumbidzani bathu babo, imwi njudzi, ngoti banobgwilizilila malopa e balanda bawo, ngono banobgwilizila zwita zwabo, ngono bakathamila shango ye bathu babo kugadzana.”
- English44
Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people.
African KalangaMushe kazha ana Joshuwa nkololo wa Nuni ngono kabala matama wose e lumbo igogu bathu bakawhilila.
- African Kalanga
Ngono kukati Mushe asinopedza kuleba matama wose iyawa ku Baiziraela bose,
- English46
he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law.
African Kalangakabadwa kati, “Longani mu moyo matama wose iyawa andinomupa mu zhuba lino, muadiye bana benyu, kuyita kuti babe ne njele kushinga matama wose e nlayo iwoyu.
- English47
They are not just idle words for you–they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
African KalangaNgoti ate ali mazakhwa ku muli, koga butjilo gwenyu, ngoti ndiwo mowotjila tjibaka tjilefu mu shango yamunotjuluka Jorodani kunoyithama yenyu.”
- African Kalanga
Ngono Yahwe bakadwa Mushe mu zhuba ilelo bakati,
- English49
“Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession.
African Kalanga“Tatha dombo ileli le Abarimu, Dombo le Nebo limu shango ye Moabu kulingisana ne Jerikho ngono ubone shango ye Kanana iyo yandinopa bathu be Iziraela kuyi thuwa,
- English50
There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people.
African Kalangangono ufile pezhugwi kwe dombo ileli lawunotatha utobele bakanyi kwenyu, sa Aroni nkulu uwo wakafila mu Dombo le Hori ngono katobela bathu bakanyi kwabo,
- English51
This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites.
African Kalangangoti wakakong'wa kulakidza kugalamoyo mu ndili pakati kwe bathu be Iziraela pa vula dze Meribatikadeshi mu tjilambanyika tje Zini, ngoti awuzonditeta sendakayengemala pakati kwe bathu be Iziraela.
- English52
Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel.”
African KalangaNdizo unowobona shango mbeli kuko, koga awutoyingina shango yandinopa bathu be Iziraela.”
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.