The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Esther 3English
Esita 3African Kalanga
- English1
After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles.
African KalangaKwakati shule kwe tjibakanyana Mambo Ahasurusi kapa Hamani nkololo wa Hamedatha we N'agagi mamo anopinda makulukota mamwe.
- English2
All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.
African KalangaBashingi bose be bushe bakabe beteta Hamani kakale benthigamila sekwakabe kuli ndaulo ya mambo koga Modekayi iye kalambana nako.
- English3
Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?”
African KalangaMakulukota bakabhuzwa Modekayi kuti ini asingalondolodze tjalebgwa ndi mambo.
- English4
Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew.
African KalangaBakalebeleka na Modekayi kanjinji begwisa kuti azwitoboke ndizo athigamile Hamani, koga Modekayi kalambana nako ebabudza ha ali Njuta. Ndizo makulukota akayenda kuna Hamani bakambudza ngekwe mazwibhato a Modekayi.
- African Kalanga
Hamani wakazhala bushongola kwazo ha ebona mazwibhato a Modekayi.
- English6
Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.
African KalangaKoga Hamani wakati asinoziba kuti Modekayi u ludzi bani, kashinyata kwazo kabona kusakafanila kuti ungabulaya iye ega, ndizo Hamani kashaka zila yaangabulaya ludzi gwa Modekayi ndiyo mu ntuthu wose wa Mambo Ahasurusi.
- English7
In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, they cast the pur (that is, the lot) in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.
African KalangaKwakati mu gole le bugumi lina makole ali mabili le mbuso wa Mambo Ahasurusi kuli mwedzi we kutanga we Nisani, Hamani kadusa ndaulo kuti kukandigwe kubong'we zhuba lakalingisana kuti kulobesiwe ludzi gwe Bajuta mu mituthu yose ya mambo ngono hakata dzikawila mu mwedzi we bugumi una mwedzi mibili mu zhuba le bugumi lina mazhuba matatu unoyi Ada.
- English8
Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them.
African KalangaNdizo Hamani kadwa mambo kati, “Kuna bamwe bathu bakaandama mu mituthu yenyu yose, bathu ibaba bana milayo yabo ipoga isingafanane neye bamwe kakale abatolondolodza ndaulo dzenyu, ndizo bathu bakajali amungamililane nabo.
- English9
If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will put ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury for the men who carry out this business.”
African KalangaHa kumushathisa dusani ndaulo kuti bathu ibabo balobesiwe bose ngono imi ndozwimisila kudusa talenta dzili zwiwulu zwili gumi (10 000) dze siliva ndipa be dula la mambo.”
- English10
So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.
African KalangaMambo bakaambula ring'i yabo, yakabe ili itjo itempa tjabo bakaipa tjita tjikulu tje Bajuta Hamani nkololo wa Hamedatha we N'agagi.
- African Kalanga
Ndizo mambo kabe edwa Hamani eti “Mari nde awo, thama tjaunoshaka nge kwawo, bathu bo ndebabo shinga kuda kuko mubali.”
- English12
Then on the thirteenth day of the first month the royal secretaries were summoned. They wrote out in the script of each province and in the language of each people all Haman’s orders to the king’s satraps, the governors of the various provinces and the nobles of the various peoples. These were written in the name of King Xerxes himself and sealed with his own ring.
African KalangaNgono kwakati mu zhuba le bugumi lina butatu le mwedzi we kutanga, Hamani kadana bakwalili ba mambo ebabudza tjabakafanila kwala. Bakwalili bakakwalila batungamili ne balauli ne makulukota e mituthu yose nge nkwalo we ntuthu mmwe ne mmwe nenge lulimi gwe ntuthu mmwe ne mmwebo kose kwakabe kwalaugwa ndi Hamani kuti kukwagwe. Ngono bakakwala mu zina la Mambo Ahasurusi bakabe bedzilobesa itempa tjitje.
- English13
Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews–young and old, women and little children–on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.
African KalangaBatumwa bakatola whalo bakadziandamisa nge mituthu yose ya mambo. Whalo idzedzi dzakabe dzakakwagwa kuti iti mu mwedzi we bugumi lina mwedzi mibili we Ada, mu zhuba le bugumi lina matatu balobese Bajuta bose whola kene ntjetjana kose nge kufanana. Bakabe bakafanila bulawa se mbgwa bebuya betapigwa thundu dzabo.
- English14
A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so they would be ready for that day.
African KalangaBakatumila mitutshi ye whalo idzedzi ngono dzikabagwa kuti ndizo nthu mmwe ne mmwe azwilulwamisile zhuba ilelo.
- English15
Spurred on by the king’s command, the couriers went out, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was bewildered.
African KalangaBatumwa bakaandamisa ndaulo idzedzi dza mambo tjinyolotjo mu nzi nkulu we Susa. Ngono ipapo mambo na Hamani bakabe beja beng'wa bakashatha koga nzi we Susa iwo uli zhele buyendasi gusibushoma.
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.