The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Exodus 32English
Kufuluka 32African Kalanga
- English1
When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
African KalangaKwakati bathu bebona kuti Mushe wanonoka kudeluka mu dombo, bakakubungana pana Aroni bakati kunli, “Milika utithamile midzimu inowotitungamila, ngoti Mushe iye wakati dusa mu shango ye Egipiti atitjaziba kuti kwashingikalani kunli.”
- English2
Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.”
African KalangaAroni kabe ebadwa eti, “Dusani mang'ina e golide amu zebe dze bakadzi benyu ne dze bakololo benyu ne bakololokadzi benyu muazhise kundili.”
- African Kalanga
Ndizo bathu bose bakatola mang'ina e golide wose akabe ali mu zebe dzabo bakayisa kuna Aroni.
- English4
He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
African KalangaNgono iye kaamutjila golide mu maboko abo kaibumba kathama nkong'wana, ndizo Baiziraela bakabe beti, “Eyi ndiyo midzimu iyo iwe Iziraela yakakudusa mu shango ye Egipiti.”
- English5
When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.”
African KalangaKukati Aroni ebona ikoku, kabaka tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo pa ifano itjetjo tje nkong'wana ebe epa zibiso eti, “Mangwana kowobe ne nzano wa Yahwe.”
- English6
So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
African KalangaTjimuka bathu bakabinduka bakadusa zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa ne zwe mbakisano, ngono bakagala pasi bakaja bakang'wa bakamilika bakazana.
- English7
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt.
African KalangaYahwe bakadwa Mushe bakati, “Deluka ngoti bathu babo bawakadusa mu shango ye Egipiti bathama zwakabipa,
- English8
They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’
African Kalangabatjimbidza kupambuka mu zila yandakabapa, bazwithamigwa ifano tje nkong'wana ngono batjithigamila bakatjidusila zwibhayilo, bebe beti, ‘Eyi ndiyo midzimu iyo iwe Iziraela yakakudusa mu shango ye Egipiti.’ ”
- African Kalanga
Yahwe bakadwa Mushe bakati, “Ndatjibona bathu ibaba, bathu bana misholo yakawoma.
- English10
Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”
African KalangaNgwenu tjindiletja kuti bushongola gwangu gubathutile se moto ndibalobese, koga ndowothama ludzi lukulu kudwa mu kuli.”
- English11
But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “O Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?
African KalangaKoga Mushe kakumbila Yahwe Ndzimu uwe kati, “Ini bushongola gwenyu gungalobesa bathu benyu bamakadusa mu shango ye Egipiti nge simba gulu nenge tjiazha tjakasima sa ikoku kene?
- English12
Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people.
African KalangaBaegipiti kana banowodwa beti, ‘Yahwe bakabadusa mu Egipiti nge nkumbulo mbi kuti benobabulayila mu matombo ne kubalobesa mu shango.’ Buzani moyo wenyu, bushongola gwenyu ngagupele musishingile bathu benyu mbipo iyeyi.
- English13
Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’”
African KalangaKumbulani Abhurahama na Isaki na Iziraela balanda benyu bamakatuna ku bali muti, ‘Ndowowatsha bana benyu bakabe banji se nyenyedzi dze zhuzhugwi, shango yose iyeyi yandakamugadzabgwe ndowoyipa bana benyu, banowoyi thuwa nge kusingapele.’ ”
- African Kalanga
Ndizo Yahwe bakazwidziba mu mbipo yabakabe bakumbula kuishingila bathu babo.
- English15
Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back.
African KalangaMushe kabe eshanduka edeluka dombo akabhata zwileiti zwe tjidumano, zwakakwagwa mukati na kuzhe zose.
- English16
The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.
African KalangaZwileiti izwezo zwakabe zwathamiwa ne Ndzimu ne nkwalo uli nkwalo we Ndzimu wakakobolegwa mu zwileiti.
- English17
When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.”
African KalangaJoshuwa kati ewha zhoba ye bathu bemimila, kadwa Mushe kati, “Kuna zhoba ye ngwa mu bukotokelo.”
- English18
Moses replied: “It is not the sound of victory, it is not the sound of defeat; it is the sound of singing that I hear.”
African KalangaMushe kanshandula eti, “Zhoba yandinowha ate uli mpululu we kukunda kene guwo le kukundiwa, koga ndowha zhoba ye bathu banomba.”
- English19
When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.
African KalangaKukati Mushe abe pejo ne makotokelo pa whunde ye dombo, kabona nkong'wana ne bathu bezana, kazhala bushongola kwazo. Ipapo kaposa zwileiti zwaakabe akabhata zwikapkhwanyika.
- English20
And he took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.
African KalangaKatola nkong'wana wabakabe bathama kaupisa kaukwiya kalonga nlota wawo mu vula kathama kuti Baiziraela bang'we vula iyeyo.
- English21
He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?”
African KalangaNgono Mushe kabhuzwa Aroni kati, “Ibaba bathu bakuthamani tjayita kuti ubalonge mu tjibi tjingapangapa?”
- African Kalanga
Aroni kabe eti, “Musigwadze moyo kungapo tetshi wangu, moziba kuti bathu ibaba banokuligwa nge mbipo kungapani.
- English23
They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’
African KalangaBakandidwa bakati, ‘Mutithamile midzimu inowotitungamila, Mushe iye wakatidusa mu shango ye Egipiti atitoziba kuti kwatini nge kukwe.’
- English24
So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”
African KalangaNgono imi abe ndibadwa nditi, ‘Iye una golide ngaaiduse’ ndizo bakabe bendipa iyo, ngono abe ndiilashila mu moto kube kubhuda nkong'wana iwoyu.”
- English25
Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies.
African KalangaNgono Mushe kati ebona kuti bathu bapanduka ngoti Aroni abaletja bakapanduka kakale bazwilengudza mu zwita zwabo,
- English26
So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.
African Kalangaipapo Mushe kama pa nkoba we bukotokelo kati, “Iye umile na Yahwe ngaazhe kundili.” Ngono bakololo ba Levi bose bakakubungana panli.
- English27
Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’”
African KalangaNgono kabadwa kati, “Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, ‘Mmwe ne mmwe ngaadedele bukanu gugwe ayende ebuya buya mu bukotokelo kudwa ku nkoba kuyenda ku mmwe, abulaye nkololo wa tate babe, abulaye nkwinya uwe abulaye ne mbakidzani uwe.’ ”
- African Kalanga
Bakololo ba Levi bakashinga sekwa badwiwa ndi Mushe, mu zhuba ilelo kukafa bathu bali zwiwulu zwili zwitatu (3 000).
- English29
Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”
African KalangaIpapo Mushe kati, “Nasi mazwitshwayila kushingila Yahwe mmwe ne mmwe wenyu nge kubulaya nkololo uwe ne mwana wa tate babe kuti Yahwe bamukombolele mu zhuba lino.”
- English30
The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
African KalangaTjimuka Mushe kadwa bathu kati, “Makathama tjibi tjikulu kulu kwazo. Ngono ngwenu ndowoyenda kuna Yahwe, pamwe ndingamuthamila gadzano ngekwe tjibi tjenyu.”
- English31
So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold.
African KalangaNdizo Mushe kabgwilila kuna Yahwe kabe eti ku bali, “Bathu ibaba bakathama tjibi tjakabangalala. Bakazwithamigwa midzimu nge golide bakabuya bakayithigamila.
- English32
But now, please forgive their sin–but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”
African KalangaMubazwiibhatigwe zwibi zwabo, koga amusingabazwiibhatigwe, ndomukumbila bukushani zina langu mu lukwalo gwenyu gwa makakwala.”
- African Kalanga
Koga Yahwe bakadwa Mushe bakati, “Iye wanditjinyila ndiye wandinobukusha mu lukwalo gwangu.
- English34
Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
African KalangaYenda ngwenu wali utungamilile bathu ibaba kwandakakubudza, ntumwa wangu we kudzimu unowokutungamila. Koga mu zhuba landinowoloba, ndowobalobela jinyo labo.”
- English35
And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.
African KalangaYahwe bakabaloba bathu ibaba ngoti bakathama nkong'wana beuthamigwa ndi Aroni.
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.