The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Joshua 3English
Joshuwa 3African Kalanga
- English1
Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over.
African KalangaKwakati mu mangwanana makulu Joshuwa ne Baiziraela bose bakafuluka pa bukotokelo gwabo mu Shitimu ngono bakakotokela tjandingeno kwe gwizi gwe Jorodani.
- African Kalanga
Ngono kwakati shule kwe mazhuba matatu batungamili bakapalama bukotokelo gose,
- English3
giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.
African Kalangabeyenda bedwa bathu beti, “Ha mubona Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu lipinda, lakasengwa nge bapirisiti be Balevi, makafanila kuti mumilike mulisale shule,
- English4
Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it.”
African Kalangandiko kwamunowoziba zila yamakafanila tobela ngoti amuthu mukatongo tobela zila iyeyi. Koga mubone kuti kube thambo dzingabhata mazana ali zhanakadzi (900) pakati kwenyu ne Bhokisi le Tjidumano, musitongo sedzela pejosa nalo.”
- English5
Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
African KalangaJoshuwa kadwa Baiziraela kati, “Muzwitjenapadze ngobe mangwana Yahwe banowothama matjenamiso makulu pakati kwenyu.”
- English6
Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.
African KalangaKu bapirisiti, Joshuwa kabadwa kati, “Tolani Bhokisi le Tjidumano, mupindile mbeli mutungamile bathu.” Ngono bapirisiti bakatola Bhokisi le Tjidumano bakatungamila bathu.
- English7
And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.
African KalangaYahwe bakadwa Joshuwa bakati, “Nasi ndowotangisa kukukudza mbeli kwe Baiziraela bose, kuti bazibe kuti, koga sekwa ndakabe na Mushe nawebo ndinawe.
- English8
Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”
African KalangaNdizoke, budza bapirisiti bakasenga Bhokisi le Tjidumano uti, ‘Amuswika pa ndzibo we vula ye gwizi gwe Jorodani mungine muguli mube muma pakati kwago.’ ”
- African Kalanga
Joshuwa kadwa Baiziraela kati, “Sedzelani ngeno muwhe matama a Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu!
- English10
This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites.
African Kalanga“Ndiko sekwa munowoziba kuti Ndzimu unotjila unamwi kakale unowotatila kutjena Bakanana ne Bahiti ne Bahivi ne Baperizi ne Bagirigashi ne Baamori ne Bajebusi mbeli kwenyu.
- English11
See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you.
African KalangaBonani bapirisiti bakasenga Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja She we shango yose, banowomutungamila kutjuluka Jorodani.
- African Kalanga
Ndizoke ngwenu shalulani balume bali gumi lina babili mmwe ne mmwe wabo ali milile ludzi gugwe.
- English13
And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord -the Lord of all the earth–set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”
African KalangaNgono kowoti koga makumbo e bapirisiti bakasenga Bhokisi le Tjidumano la Yahwe, She we shango yose etshamba vula ye Jorodani, vula ye Jorodani inowoma kuwunga ngono ika zwibumba ikasala inga phili ye gwizi.”
- English14
So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them.
African KalangaNdizo kwakati bathu befuluka pa bukotokelo kunotjuluka Jorodani, bakabe bakatungamigwa nge bapirisiti bakasenga Bhokisi le Tjidumano.
- English15
Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge,
African KalangaKwakabe kuli tjibaka tjekuvuna, tjibaka mu gole tjinoti gwizi gwe Jorodani gukabe guthwa ne shango. Ngono kwakati koga bapirisiti bakasenga Bhokisi betshamba vula,
- English16
the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
African Kalangavula ikama kuwunga, ikazwithama phili kutangisa tjose pa nzi nkulu we Adamu wakabapa newe Zarethani, vula yakabe iwungila mu Gungwa le Mwenyu le Araba ikama kuwunga tjoselele. Ndizo bathu bakatjulukila seli kwe Jerikho.
- English17
The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.
African KalangaBapirisiti bakabe bakasenga Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe bakabe bali mile pakati kwe Jorodani ngono pakawoma, kudzina itjaba tjose tje Iziraela tjatjuluka.
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.