The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Genesis 32English
Kutangisa 32African Kalanga
- African Kalanga
Jakubo katola gwendo gugwe ngono batumwa be kudzimu bakashangana naye.
- African Kalanga
Jakubo kati ebabona kati, “Eli i bunga le Ndzimu.” Ndizo kadana bugalo igogo kati Mahanayimi.
- English3
Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
African KalangaJakubo katuma batumwa kuyenda mbeli ku nkulu uwe Esau ku Seiri shango ye Edomu.
- English4
He instructed them: “This is what you are to say to my master Esau: ‘Your servant Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban and have remained there till now.
African KalangaKabadwa kati, “Tjamunowobudza Esau tetshi wangu ndi etji, ‘Nlanda wenyu Jakubo kati, “Ndakagala na Labani kuswikila ngwenu.
- English5
I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, menservants and maidservants. Now I am sending this message to my lord, that I may find favor in your eyes.’”
African KalangaNdina ng'ombe ne madonki ne pkhwizi ne mbudzi ne balandalume ne balandakadzi. Ndizo ndozhisa ndayidzo iyeyi kumuli tetshi wangu kuti ndiamutjilike.” ’ ”
- English6
When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”
African KalangaBalanda bakati babuya kuna Jakubo bakabika beti, “Takanoswika ku nkulu uwo Esau. Umu zila ne balume bali mazana ali manna (400) kuwokushanganidza.”
- English7
In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, and the flocks and herds and camels as well.
African KalangaIpapo Jakubo kazhigwa ngotja kadziyidzika mu moyo kwazo. Kathubukanya bathu baakabe anabo bakabe makoko mabili. Pkhwizi ne mbudzi ne ng'ombe ne kamela kazwithubukanyabo kube makoko mabili.
- African Kalanga
Wakabe akumbula eti, “Ha Esau angazha kanginilila goko limwe, limwe lingatubula kutizha.”
- English9
Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’
African KalangaIpapo Jakubo katembezela eti, “Ndzimu wa tate bangu Abhurahama, Ndzimu wa tate bangu Isaki, imwi Yahwe makati kundili, ‘Bgwilila ku shango ya kanyi kwenyu ku makamu awo, ndowothama kuti zwithu zwikuyendile zwakanaka.’
- English10
I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups.
African KalangaImi andizolizana ludo gwenyu gusingazunguzike ne kugalikabgwe kwenyu kwamakalakidza nlanda wenyu. Ndakatjuluka Jorodani ndakabhata ludozo gwangu koga, ngono ngwenu ndabe makoko mabili.
- English11
Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children.
African KalangaMundibhule mu luboko gwe nkulu wangu Esau ngoti ndotja kuti unowozha katibulaya tose na bomayi ne bana.
- English12
But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’”
African KalangaKundili makati, ‘Ndowothama zwithu kuti zwikuyendile zubuyanana athama kuti ludzi gugo guwande se nsetje we gungwa usingake ukabalika.’ ”
- English13
He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift for his brother Esau:
African KalangaJakubo kalala ipapo busiku igogo ngono muna tjaakabe anatjo kadusila nkulu uwe Esau tjipo,
- African Kalanga
kadusa mbudzi hadzi dzili mazana mabili (200) ne mbudzi ndume dzili makumi mabili, pkhwizi hadzi dzili mazana mabili (200) ne ndume dzili makumi mabili,
- English15
thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.
African Kalangakadusa kamela dzili makumi matatu (30) ne bana badzo ne ng'ombe hadzi dzili makumi manna (40) ne ndume dzili gumi, kadusa donki hadzi dzili makumi mabili (20) ne donki ndume dzili gumi.
- English16
He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds.”
African KalangaJakubo kazwipa balanda babe kuzwitjengeta, goko limwe ne limwe nge kwalo, ebe eti ku balanda, “Yendilani mbeli kwangu muzhule thambo pakati kwe goko limwe ne limwe le zwithuwo.”
- English17
He instructed the one in the lead: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?’
African KalangaKalaya nlanda umbeli kati, “Kuti nkulu wangu Esau eshangana nawe ekubhuzwa eti, ‘Tetshi uwo ndiani? Unoyenda ngayi? Zwithuwo zwawakatakula nge zwaani?’
- English18
then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.’”
African KalangaIwe udabile uti, ‘Ngezwa Jakubo nlanda wenyu. Tjipo tjapiwa tetshi wangu Esau, iye Jakubo waswika shule kwedu.’ ”
- English19
He also instructed the second, the third and all the others who followed the herds: “You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him.
African KalangaJakubo kalaya goko le bubili ne le butatu ne mamwe wose akabe akatakula zwithuwo kati, “Namwibo mulebe saikoku kuna Esau pamunoshangana naye.
- English20
And be sure to say, ‘Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.’” For he thought, “I will pacify him with these gifts I am sending on ahead; later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me.”
African KalangaMun'dwe muti, ‘Nlanda wenyu Jakubo waswika shule kwedu.’ ” Jakubo wakabe ekumbula eti, “Ndowonshathisa nge zwipo izwezwi zwandinotumila mbeli, kowoti shule tishangana pamwe kandiamutjila.”
- African Kalanga
Ndiko zwipo zwa Jakubo zwikatungamila koga iye kalala mu maswikilo.
- English22
That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
African KalangaMu busiku igogo Jakubo katola bakadzi babe babili ne balandakadzi babe babili ne bakololo babe bagumi lina nng'ompela ngono katjuluka lukoba gwe Jabhoki.
- African Kalanga
Wakati asinobatjuludza lukoba, katjuludza ne thundu iye yose.
- African Kalanga
Jakubo kasala ega. Mmwe nlume kadzulana naye kuswikila ku bhezhuba kutema.
- English25
When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.
African KalangaNlume iwoyo kati ebona kuti aangakulile Jakubo kakutha sonyo ya Jakubo ndizo Jakubo kasonyoka ipapo bedzulana.
- English26
Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
African KalangaNlume iwoyo kati, “Undiletje ndiyende, ku bhezhuba kwatema.” Jakubo kashandula eti, “Andingakuletje kuzhe kwe wandikombolela.”
- African Kalanga
Nlume iwoyo kambhuzwa kati, “Zina lilo ndiani?” Kadabila eti, “Zina langu ndi Jakubo.”
- English28
Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.”
African KalangaNlume iwoyo kabe eti, “Zina lilo alitowobe litjayi Jakubo, koga lowoyi Iziraela ngoti wagwisana ne Ndzimu nenge bathu ngono ukakunda.”
- English29
Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.
African KalangaJakubo kambhuzwa kati, “Ndokumbila mundibudze zina lenyu.” Koga ouje kadabila eti, “Unobhuzwilani zina langu?” Ipapo kabe enkombolela.
- English30
So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
African KalangaNdizo Jakubo kadana bugalo igogo kati Penieli eti, “Ndabona Ndzimu ndakalingana nawo koga nditji mpenyu.”
- African Kalanga
Zhuba lakabhuda edwa mu Penieli. Wakabe eshudza ngekwe sonyo iye.
- English32
Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.
African KalangaNanasi kuno, Baiziraela abatoja lutshinga gumu malunganilo e bi ngoti sonyo ya Jakubo yakakuthiwa paali.
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.