The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Judges 14English
Basumikilisi 14African Kalanga
- African Kalanga
Kwakati limwe zhuba Samisoni kayenda ku Timina ngono kabona mwanadi we N'filisitiya.
- English2
When he returned, he said to his father and mother, “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.”
African KalangaWakati eshanduka kabudza tate babe na mme babe kati, “Ndabona mmwe nkololokadzi we Bafilisitiya mu Timina, ngono ngwenu mundishakile iye kube nkadzi wangu.”
- English3
His father and mother replied, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.”
African KalangaKoga tate babe na mme babe bakanshandula beti, “Apa akuna mwanadi mu bathu bakanyi kwenyu kene pakati kwe bathu bedu bose, kwaungadza ukanotola nkadzi ku Bafilisitiya basakathumbigwa kene?” Koga Samisoni kadwa tate babe kati, “Mundishakile iye, ndiye unondishathisa.”
- English4
(His parents did not know that this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)
African KalangaTate babe na mmebabe bakabe basinga zibe kuti kwakabe kudwa kuna Yahwe, ngobe bakabeshaka zila yekugwa ne Bafilisitiya. Mu tjibaka itjetjo Bafilisitiya bakabe bebusa Baiziraela.
- English5
Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him.
African KalangaSamisoni kadelukila ku Timina ana tate babe na mme babe, bakati batjilinga minda dze mizhambi dze Timina, tjinyolotjo kukabhuda shumbana i bomba izha kunli.
- English6
The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done.
African KalangaMeya ya Yahwe ikazha munli nge masimba kwaakapalulanya shumba koga se unopalulanya tjibudzana, ngono asakabhata tjimwe mu maboko. Koga kasibudze tate babe kene mmebabe tjaathama.
- African Kalanga
Ngono kayenda kanolebeleka ne nkadzi, ngono nkadzi kashathisa Samisoni kwazo.
- English8
Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass. In it was a swarm of bees and some honey,
African KalangaKwakati shule kwe mazhuba ebgwilila enotola nkadzi, wakatendebuka kanolinga itumbu tje shumba, ngono bona, kukabe kuna nlunda we nyutji mu itumbu ne butji.
- English9
which he scooped out with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.
African KalangaKamola nge maboko awe, kayenda eja mu zila, kanoswika kuna tate babe na mme babe ngono kabapabo dzimwe bakaja. Koga kasibabudze kuti watola butji mu itumbu tje shumba.
- English10
Now his father went down to see the woman. And Samson made a feast there, as was customary for bridegrooms.
African KalangaKwakati tate babe beswika ku nkadzi iwoyo, Samisoni kathama nzano ikweno ngoti kwakabekuli nja we bazhuzha.
- African Kalanga
Kwakati bathu bembona bakanzhisila thaka dzidze dzili makumi matatu (30) kubenaye.
- English12
“Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.
African KalangaNgono Samisoni kabadwa kati, “Imani ndimu lipe, apa mungadibudza dabilo mu mazhuba ali tendeka e nzano, ndowomupa zwihempe zwili makumi matatu (30) ne zwiambalo zwakanaka zwili makumi matatu (30).
- English13
If you can’t tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.” “Tell us your riddle,” they said. “Let’s hear it.”
African KalangaKoga apa mungakong'wa ne kundidabila, mowondipa zwihempe zwili makumi matatu (30) ne zwiambalo zwakanaka zwili makumi matatu (30).” Ngono bakandwa bakati, “Leba libha lilo tiliwhe.”
- English14
He replied, “Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet.” For three days they could not give the answer.
African KalangaKababudza ilo kati, “Mu nji kwakabuda zojiwa. Muna wakasima, kukabuda butji.”
- English15
On the fourth day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?”
African KalangaKwakati mu zhuba le bunna bakadwa nkadzi wa Samisoni beti, “Tjengela nlume uwo ati tjenesele libha kuti lodwani, kusakajalo tomupisa iwe ne be nsha wa tate babo. Apa matikokela kuwotilonga bushayi kene?”
- English16
Then Samson’s wife threw herself on him, sobbing, “You hate me! You don’t really love me. You’ve given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.” “I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother,” he replied, “so why should I explain it to you?”
African KalangaNgono nkadzi wa Samisoni kalila mbeli kukwe eti, “Unondishima, autondida. Walibha bathu bakanyi kwedu ngono auzondibudza dabilo.” Ngono kandabila eti, “Bona, andizobudza tate kene mme, apa ndibudze iwe kene?”
- English17
She cried the whole seven days of the feast. So on the seventh day he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She in turn explained the riddle to her people.
African KalangaKalila mazhuba wose ali kutendeka e nzano, kwakati mu zhuba le butendeka kambudza, ngobe wakabe atjinlonga hapa na hapa. Ngono nkadzi kanotjenesela balume bakanyikukwe.
- English18
Before sunset on the seventh day the men of the town said to him, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” Samson said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle.”
African KalangaZhuba lakati lisathu lamila mu zhuba le butendeka, balume be nzi bakandwa bakati, “Ini tjinozipa kupinda butji gwe nyutji kene? Ini tjakasima kupinda shumba kene?” Ngono kabashandula eti, “Ha mungabe musalima ne gondolo langu, mungabe musatjenesa libha langu.”
- English19
Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of their belongings and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he went up to his father’s house.
African KalangaNgono Meya ya Yahwe ikazha munli nge simba, kayenda ku Ashikiloni, kabulaya balume bali makumi matatu (30) mu nzi, katola thundu dzabo, kapa balume batjenesa libha zwiambalo zwakanaka. Kabgwilila ku ng'umba ya tate babe nge bushongola gunothuta.
- African Kalanga
Nkadzi wa Samisoni kapiwa nzwalani uwe, iye wakabe ali ntjengeti uwe pa ndobolo iye.
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.