The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Joshua 5English
Joshuwa 5African Kalanga
- English1
Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until we had crossed over, their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.
African KalangaKwakati bomambo be Baamori bakabe begala kunomila zhuba kwe Jorodani na bomambo be Bakanana bakabe begala ku tjekelo dze gungwa bewha kuti Yahwe bakapkhwisa gwizi gwe Jorodani tjini kuswikila Baiziraela bose batjuluka, bakatemeka mafupa bakapelegwa nge simba le kulingisana ne Baiziraela.
- English2
At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.”
African KalangaMu tjibaka itjetjo Yahwe bakadwa Joshuwa beti, “Thama mipanga ye mabgwe inopitsha ube uthama thumbidzo ye bubili mu Baiziraela.”
- African Kalanga
Ndizo Joshuwa kathama mipanga inopitsha ngono kathumbisa bathu be Iziraela ku Gibeatiharaloti.
- English4
Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt–all the men of military age–died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt.
African KalangaTjakathama kuti Joshuwa athumbile bathu whuti balume bose be babhayani bakabe badwa ku Egipiti, bakabe batjifa bose bali mu tjilambanyika shule kwe babhuda mu Egipiti.
- English5
All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not.
African KalangaBathu bose bakabe badwa ku Egipiti bakabe bakathumbigwa, bose bakazwaligwa mu tjilambanyika batji mu gwendo ibo bakabe basakathumbigwa.
- English6
The Israelites had moved about in the desert forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land that he had solemnly promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
African KalangaBathu be Iziraela bakayenda mu tjilambanyika kwe makole ali makumi ali manna (40) kuswikila tjaba yose yakadwa mu Egipiti yafa yapelela, ngoti bakabe basingabhulutane whi la Yahwe. Yahwe bakabe batuna kuti akuna wabo unowotshamba mavu e shango yabakagadzabgwe bobatategulu babo kuti banowobapa iyo, shango yakafuma inowunga nkaka ne butji.
- English7
So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way.
African KalangaKoga bana babo ndibo bakathumbigwa ndi Joshuwa ngoti bakabe basakathumba se bakabe batji mu gwendo.
- English8
And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.
African KalangaKwakati itjaba tjose tjisinothumbigwa, tjikagala mu bukotokelo kuswikilila tjapola.
- English9
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.
African KalangaKudwapo Yahwe bakadwa Joshuwa bakati, “Nasi ndamudusa mukulengudzika kwe kube balanda mu Egipiti.” Ndizo na nasi pathu ipapo kodang'wa Giligala.
- English10
On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover.
African KalangaBaiziraela bakati batjikotoka mu Giligala bakati mu madekwana e zhuba le bugumi lina manna le mwedzi, bakalondolodza Nzano we Kupinda pezhugwi mu mabala e Jerikho.
- English11
The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain.
African KalangaZhuba shule kwele Nzano we Kupinda pezhugwi, bakaja kuli gwe kutanga beja zwe minda dze Kanana, bakaja tjiwunga tjisakabila ne mathunde akagotjiwa.
- English12
The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan.
African KalangaZojiwa zwe mana zwakama kuwa kudzimu mu zhuba labakaluma zwe minda dze Kanana, Baiziraela abazotongo wana mana mu gole ilelo, bakabebeja zwinodwa mu mavu e Kanana.
- English13
Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
African KalangaKwakati Joshuwa ali pejo ne Jerikho, kamilidza mesho ngono kabona nlume alimile mbeli kukwe akabhata thumo mu luboko gugwe. Ngono Joshuwa kayenda kunli kambhuzwa kati, “Umwe wedu kene uwe zwita zwedu kene?”
- English14
“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”
African KalangaNgono kashandula kati, “Aa, andite ndili mmwe wenyu kene mmwe we zwita zwenyu, ndazha ndili nlauli we babhayani ba Yahwe.” Ngokuzwiyisa pasi Joshuwa kathigama kanamata, ngono kabhuzwa kati, “She wangu moshaka kuti nlanda wenyu athameni?”
- English15
The commander of the Lord ‘s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
African KalangaNlauli we babhayani ba Yahwe kashandula eti, “Ambula shangu dzidzo ngobe pathu paumile pakayengemala.” Ngono Joshuwa kathama sekwa adwiwa.
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.