The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Leviticus 18English
Zwipo 18African Kalanga
- African Kalanga
Yahwe bakadwa Mushe bakati,
- African Kalanga
“Idwa bathu be Iziraela uti, ‘Ndimi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu.
- English3
You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.
African KalangaMusitongothama sekwa banothama mu shango ye Egipiti, ikweno kwamakabe muligele, kakale musitongothama sekwa banothama mu shango ye Kanana, ikweno kwandinomuyisako. Musitongotobela milayo yabo.
- African Kalanga
Mulondolodze milayo yangu, muitobele, ndimi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu.
- African Kalanga
Ndizo mulondolodze milayo yangu ne ndaulo dzangu, kuti mutjile, ndimi Yahwe.
- African Kalanga
“ ‘Kusitongowanika mmwe wenyu ungashaka gamu lile kuwalilana nalo. Ndimi Yahwe.
- English7
“ ‘Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her.
African KalangaUsitongolengudza tate babo ngowalilana na mme yabo, mme yabo ndi mme yabo, usitongowalilana nabo.
- African Kalanga
Usitongolengudza tate babo ngowalilana ne nkadzi wa tate babo ngoti mbili uwe nge wa tate babo.
- English9
“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.
African KalangaUsitongowalilana ne hazwadzi iyo, ungabe ali nkololokadzi wa tate babo na mme yabo, kene wa tate babo wakazwagwa mu nzi kene wakazwagwa kuzhe.
- English10
“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would dishonor you.
African KalangaAuzofanila shanganyila ngubo ne mwana we mwana uwo, unobe uzwilengudza.
- English11
“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.
African KalangaUsitongowalilana ne hazwadzi iyo muli bana be nlume, i hazwadzi iyo.
- English12
“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative.
African KalangaUsitongowalilana na maahadzi babo, ngobe i hazwadzi ya tate babo.
- English13
“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s close relative.
African KalangaUsitongowalilana na mannini babo, ngobe nnung'una wa mme yabo.
- English14
“ ‘Do not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.
African KalangaUsitongowalilana ne nkadzi wa batatenini babo, ngobe ndi mannini babo.
- English15
“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your daughter- in-law. She is your son’s wife; do not have relations with her.
African KalangaUsitongowalilana ne nkadzi we nkololo uwo, ngobe nlongo uwo.
- English16
“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would dishonor your brother.
African KalangaUsitongowalilana ne nkadzi we nkulu uwo, ngoti mbili we nkulu uwo.
- English17
“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.
African KalangaUsitongowalilana ne nkadzi nenge nkololokadzi uwe, kene ne nkololokadzi we nkololo uwe kene we nkololokadzi uwe, ngoti abe makamu awo ngoti bubi.
- English18
“ ‘Do not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.
African KalangaUsitongolobola nkadzana uwo nkadzi uwo atjatjila unowobagwisanya.
- English19
“ ‘Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period.
African Kalanga“ ‘Usitongowalilana ne nkadzi ali mu mazhuba awe, ngobe akatemapala.
- African Kalanga
Usitongowalilana ne nkadzi we ikamu tjitjo, ngobe unowobe uzwitemapadza.
- English21
“ ‘Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.
African KalangaUsitongodusila mmwe we bana babo kupisiwa etjila ali tjibhayilo kuna Moleki, ndzimu we Baamoni, ngoti mowobe mulengudza zina le Ndzimu wenyu. Ndimi Yahwe.
- African Kalanga
Usitongolala ne nlume unthama nkadzi, kuthu kunoshimisa.
- English23
“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.
African KalangaKusibe ne nlume kene nkadzi unolala ne phuka, mbipo yakajalo inotemapadza.
- English24
“ ‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.
African Kalanga“ ‘Musitongozwitemapadza ne tjimwe tje zwithu izwezwi, ngobe tjaba dzose dzandakatata mbeli kwenyu dzozwitemapadza nge zwithu izwezwi,
- English25
Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.
African Kalangane shango ikatemapala, ndizo ailoba shamu ngekwe tjibi tjayo ngono ikathwila kuzhe bathu bagele muili.
- English26
But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the aliens living among you must not do any of these detestable things,
African KalangaKoga imwi mulondolodze milayo ne ndaulo dzangu, musitongothama tjimwe tje zwithu izwezwi zwinoshimisa nenguba ali ntebe kene ntaya wakawolubila pakati kwenyu.
- English27
for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled.
African KalangaNgobe bathu be shango bakabe bali mbeli kwenyu, bakathama zwithu zose izwezwi zwinoshimisa, ndizo shango ikatemapala.
- English28
And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.
African KalangaShango inomuthwila kuzhe, ha mungaitemapadza, sekwayakathwila kuzhe tjaba dzakabe dzili mbeli kwenyu.
- English29
“ ‘Everyone who does any of these detestable things–such persons must be cut off from their people.
African KalangaNgobe iye unowothama tjimwe tje zwithu izwezwi zwinoshimisa, nthu iwoyo wazwithama unowothubugwa mu bathu bakanyi kwabo.
- English30
Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God.’”
African Kalanga“ ‘Ndizo mulondolodze ndaulo yangu, kuti musithame tjimwe tje mipanga iyeyi inoshimisa, yakabe ithamiwa mbeli kwenyu, kakale musitongo zwitemapadza ndiyo, ndimi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu.’ ”
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.