The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Nehemiah 2English
Nehemiya 2African Kalanga
- English1
In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before;
African KalangaKwakati mu mwedzi we Nizani, mu gole le bumakumi mabili le mbuso wa Mambo Atazezasi, kukazhisigwa mambo nkumbi we zhambi ngono atola nkumbi aupa mambo. Kwakabe kuli gwe kutanga ndilingika ndakashoba mbeli kwa mambo.
- English2
so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid,
African KalangaNdizo mambo bakandibhuzwa beti, “Ini ulingika wakashoba zwingapa koga usinga gwale? Ikoku kungabe kugwadzika kwe moyo koga.” Ipapo azhigwa ngotja kukulukulu.
- English3
but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
African KalangaNgono adwa mambo nditi “Atshene mambo bangatjilila tja tjose! Dumbu ndinga sashoba tjini ha nzi nkulu iwo ulele bobatategulu bangu watjibe matongo saikoku kene ne nge matendele awo akajiwa nge moto kene?”
- African Kalanga
Mambo bakandidabila beti, “Unoshakani?” Ndakatembezela Ndzimu ukudzimu.
- English5
and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.”
African KalangaNgono kudwapo adabila mambo nditi, “Ha kushathisa mambo kakale ha nlanda wenyu man’whila zogwadza, ndokumbila kuti munga ndiletja ayenda ku nzi nkulu umu Juda iko kuna zwikumbu zwa bobatategulu, kuti ndizo ndinoumusa.”
- English6
Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.
African KalangaMambo bakabe baligele bakabapa ne nfumakadzi wabo ngono bakandibhuzwa beti, “Aubona unowoyenda kwe tjibaka tjingapani kakale unowobuya lini?” Kwakashathisa mambo kuti ndiyende ngono ampa tjibaka.
- English7
I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah?
African KalangaNgono ndakati kuna mambo, “Ha kushathisa mambo, bangandipa whalo dzandinga yenda nadzo ku balauli be ntuthu we Yufuratesi kuti ndizo ndibe ne gwendo gubuyanana kudzina ndiswika ku Juda,
- English8
And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.
African Kalangakakale ndokumbila lukwalo gwandinganopa Asafa nlisi we ishaka tja mambo, gunowobe gunlaulila kuti andipe mapango e phanda dze matendele ne guma le nzi nkulu nenge ng'umba yandinonogala.” Ngono mambo bakandipa kose kwandakabakumbila, ngobe Ndzimu wakabe unami.
- English9
So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
African KalangaNdizo ndakayenda ku balauli be ntuthu we Yufuratesi ngono abapa whalo dzadwa kuna mambo. Mambo bakabe badusa balauli be babhayani ne batathi be mbizi kuti bayende nami.
- English10
When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.
African KalangaNgono Sanibalati we N'hori na Tobiya we hadzasha we N'amoni bakati bewha ikoku, bakagwadza moyo kwazo, kuti kuna nthu wazha kuwothama kuti Baiziraela batjile zubuyanana.
- African Kalanga
Ndakayenda ku Jerusalema, agalako mazhuba ali matatu.
- English12
I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.
African KalangaNgono ndakamilika busiku ndina balume basibangana, akuna wandakabe ndabudza kuti Ndzimu wakandidwani kuti nditjithamile Jerusalema. Ndakabe ndisina zwithuwo kuzhe kwetjandakabe ndakatatha.
- English13
By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire.
African KalangaNdakati busiku abhuda nge nkoba unoyi Nkoba we Nkuku hapinda pa tshime linoyi le Phungubgwe ndakalinga ku nkoba unoyi we Tjizhalanlota ashola makuma e Jerusalema akaligwa nenge matendele awo akakolomogwa nge moto.
- English14
Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through;
African KalangaNdakadwapo alinga ku nkoba unoyi we Nsenya neku dziba la mambo, ngono kwakabe kusina zila yakazhuka kungayenda mbizi yangu.
- English15
so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate.
African KalangaNdakati busiku atathila nge zila ye nkuku ndikanuka makuma, bhelelo ndakabgwilila shule ndakazwitshamba nkwala ndikanongina ne nkoba we Nkuku.
- English16
The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.
African KalangaBalauli bakabe basingazibe kwandayenda ne kuti ndakabe ndishingani, ngekuti ndakabe ndisathu ndabudza Bajuta ne bapirisiti ne makulukota ne bamwe bakabe bakalingisana ngothama nshingo iwoyu.
- English17
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.”
African KalangaKudwapo ndakabadwa ndikati, “Mobona ngwenu mang'oni atimuali, Jerusalema yabe matongo matendele ayo akapisiwa nge moto. Izhani timuse makuma e Jerusalema kuti ndizo tisitja tjilile mukubhakhwa nge shoni.”
- English18
I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.
African KalangaNdakababudza kakale kuti Ndzimu wakabe unami kungapani nenge tjandakadwiwa ndi mambo. Ngono bakashandula beti, “Ngatitangiseni kumusa!” Ndizo bakazwiloba ifuba kutangisa nshingo iwoyo.
- English19
But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”
African KalangaNgono kwakati Sanibalati we N'hori na Tobiya gombgwa le N'amoni na Geshemu we N'arabu bewha ngekwako bakatiseka mahanya betidadila beti, “Ini itjetji tjamunothama kene? Mopandukila mambo kene?”
- English20
I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”
African KalangaNdakabashandula nditi, “Ndzimu we kudzimu ndiwo unotithama kuti tibhudilile, iswi, balanda bawo towotangisa kubaka, ngono imwi amuna gobe kene simba mu tjimwe ne tjimwe ngobe musina gobe mu zwiyitikalo zwe Jerusalema.”
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.