The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Genesis 6English
Kutangisa 6African Kalanga
- African Kalanga
Kwakati bathu betangisa kuwanda mu shango, bezwala bakololokadzi,
- English2
the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
African Kalangabakololo be Ndzimu bakabona kuti bakololokadzi be bathu bakanaka, ngono bakashalula babakada bakabalobola.
- English3
Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.”
African KalangaIpapo Yahwe bakabe beti, “Meya yangu aingagale mu nthu nge kusingapele, ngoti nthu unofa. Mazhuba awe anowobe makole ali zana ling'ompela lina makole ali makumi mabili (120).”
- English4
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days–and also afterward–when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
African KalangaMu misi iyeyo kwakabe kuna bathu balefu, bakasima mu shango ne mu misi yakaitobela, pakati bakololo be Ndzimu bakawalilana ne bakololokadzi be bathu ngono bakathama bana nabo. Bakabe bali balume be babhayani bakulu ba ntolo, balume bakabe bezibika.
- English5
The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.
African KalangaYahwe bakabona kuti mbipo ye nthu yakula mu shango ne kuti zwabanokumbula mu moyo yabo i mbipo zwibaka zose.
- African Kalanga
Yahwe bakazwisola kube bakathama nthu mu shango, ngono bakawha zogwadza.
- English7
So the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth–men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air–for I am grieved that I have made them.”
African KalangaNdizo Yahwe bakabe beti, “Ndowolobesa bathu bandakabumba ndibadusa mu shango, bathu ne phuka ne zwibumbiwa zwinokambayila mu shango ne nyuni dzinowuluka, ngoti ndozwisola kube ndakabathama.”
- African Kalanga
Koga Nuwa kawhigwa ngoni ndi Yahwe.
- English9
This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.
African KalangaEdzi i thawu ngekwa Nuwa. Nuwa wakabe ali nthu wakalulwama, asina nlandu pakati kwe bathu be tjibaka tjitje, wakabe eyenda ne Ndzimu.
- African Kalanga
Nuwa wakabe ana bakololo bali batatu, Shemu na Hamu na Jafeti.
- African Kalanga
Ngono shango ikalingika yakabola nge jinyo mu kubona kwe Ndzimu, ili zhele kumukilana.
- English12
God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.
African KalangaNdzimu ukalinga shango ngono ukabona yakabola nge jinyo, ngoti mipanga ye bathu bose yakabodziwa nge jinyo.
- English13
So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.
African KalangaNdizo Ndzimu ukati kuna Nuwa, “Ndazwimisila kuzhisa bheledzo le bathu bose, ngoti shango izhele kumukilana nge kwabo. Ndowobalobesa kose ne shango.
- English14
So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.
African KalangaNdizo uzwithamigwe araka nge makwasayile akasima, uthame ng'umbana dzakathubukana muili, uidzile nge ikontiri mukati na kuzhe.
- English15
This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high.
African KalangaOku ndiko sekwa unowoithama: Bulefu gwayo ngagube matshambo ali zana ling'ompela lina matshambo ali makumi matatu ana matatu (133), bupabi gube matshambo ali makumi ali mabili ana matshambo ali mabili (22), bulefu kuyenda pezhugwi gube matshambo ali gumi lina matshambo ali matatu (13).
- English16
Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks.
African KalangaUithamile denga, usiye fesitere bulefu gungapa gaswa le thambo kudwa pezhugwi. Uthame nkoba pa ntumbu wayo, uithame ng'umba thatu dzakatathikana.
- English17
I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.
African KalangaNgoti ndowozhisa nkubila we vula mu shango kulobesa zwitjili zose zwina meya ye bupenyu, tjimwe ne tjimwe mu shango tjowofa.
- English18
But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark–you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.
African KalangaKoga ndowothama tjidumano tjangu nawe, iwe unowongina mu araka, iwe ne bakololo babo ne nkadzi uwo ne bakadzi be bakololo babo.
- English19
You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.
African KalangaUngine ne bubili gwe zwitjili zose mu araka, tjilume ne tjikadzi mu ludzi gumwe ne gumwe kuti zwitjile nawe.
- English20
Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.
African KalangaMu ludzi gumwe ne gumwe gwe nyuni ne mu ludzi gumwe ne gumwe gwe phuka ne ludzi gumwe ne gumwe gwe zwitjili zwinokambayila mu shango zwili zwibili zwinginile ku kuli kuzwitjengeta kuti zwitjile.
- English21
You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”
African KalangaUtolebo zojiwa zwinojiwa zwakasiyana siyana uzwibiganye kube zojiwa zwizo ne zwazo.”
- African Kalanga
Nuwa kakuthama ikoku, kathama kose Ndzimu kwawakandwa.
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.