The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Nehemiah 4English
Nehemiya 4African Kalanga
- English1
When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews,
African KalangaKwakati Sanibalati ewha kuti takabetimusa guma kazhala bushongola bukulu, kagwadzika kwazo ngono katangisa kadadila Bajuta,
- English2
and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble–burned as they are?”
African KalangaNgono kaleba mbeli kwe bashingi naye ne nlauli we babhayani be Samariya eti “Bajuta ibaba basakasima banozwidwa beti banothamani wali? Banozwidwa beti banowomusa makuma abo kene? Banozwidwa beti banodusa zwibhayilo kene? Banozwidwa beti banowopedza nge zhuba kene? Banozwidwa beti bangadusa mabgwe aka vukidzigwa mu zwizhalanlota kene?”
- English3
Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building–if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!”
African KalangaTobiya we N'amoni wakabe alimile wunde naye ngono kati “Guma labanobaka ne phungubgwe ha ingatjulukila lingawa!”
- English4
Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity.
African Kalanga“Mutiwhilileni Ndzimu wedu! Ngobe tolingigwa pasi. Bgwilizani masapa abo ku bali kakale mu baletje batapiwe se thundu yakatapiwa mu shango ye busungwa, mubaletjedze batolegwe ku shango ye busungwa.
- English5
Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.
African KalangaMusitongo bazwibhatigwa jinyo ne bubi gwa bakathama, ngobe bakatuka babaki.”
- English6
So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
African KalangaNgono takabaka guma lose kupoteleka ngobe bathu bakabe beshinga bakasima.
- English7
But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.
African KalangaKoga Sanibalati na Tobiya ne Baarabu ne Baamoni ne Baashidoti bakati bewha kuti ku musa makuma e Jerusalema kwakadwilila kakale banoyenda bezwina apaje na apaje ngono bakagwadza moyo kwazo.
- English8
They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.
African KalangaBakabalukila gwanga kuti bazhe bowogwisa Jerusalema ne kuthama kuti kube ne kudzongeka muili.
- African Kalanga
Ngono takatembezela Ndzimu wedu kakale tikabiga nlingi kuti agale akabalinga siku ne sikati.
- English10
Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”
African KalangaNekwakajalo Bajuta bakabe bakabhata bemba beti, “Simba le bashingi lopela, kakale kuna malala manjisa anotithama kuti tisitubule kuwidza nshingo wekumusa guma!”
- English11
Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
African KalangaNgono zwita zwedu zwikati “Banowoti basathu bakaziba kene basathu bakatibona towobetili apajee, pakati kwabo, ngono towobabulaya ne nshingo wabo ukama.”
- English12
Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
African KalangaBajuta bakabaka kubapa nabo bakatibezha bakatidwa kanjinji kungabhata gumi beti “Kumwe ne kumwe kwa munoyenda banowotinginilila.”
- English13
Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.
African KalangaNdizo pamwe ne pamwe panoboneka mu guma ndakabiga bathu nge misha yabo bakabhata zwibhayano zwakathubukana.
- English14
After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
African KalangaNdakati ndisina kulingisisa zwithu izwezwi amilika ngono adwa makombgwa ne makulukota ne bathu bose ati, “Musitongo batja, kumbulani Yahwe, iye nkulu kunotjenamisa, ndizo mu gwile makamu enyu ne bakololo benyu ne bakololokadzi benyu ne bakadzi benyu ne mizi yenyu.”
- English15
When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work.
African KalangaNgono zwita zwedu zwakati zwiwha kuti taziba nkumbulo wazo kakale Ndzimu waka udzibilidza, mmwe ne mmwe kabgwilila ku nshingo uwe we ku musa guma.
- English16
From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah
African KalangaKudwa mu zhuba ilelo gwamu limwe le balanda bangu bakabe be bumba bamwe bakabhata zwibhayano zwakasiyana ngono batungamili bedu bali mile ne bathu be Juda,
- English17
who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other,
African Kalangabakabe bebaka guma. Basengi be zwinobaka bakabe bezwisenga nge luboko gu n'gompela gumwe gwakabhata tjibhayano,
- English18
and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.
African Kalangambumbi mmwe ne mmwe wakabe akadedela bukanu gugwe mu thunji tjibaka tjose eshinga. Ngono nlume iye wakabe elidza lunyanga wakabe egala pandili.
- English19
Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall.
African KalangaKudwapo ndakadwa makombgwa ne makulukota ne bathu bose nditi “Nshingo njinji kakale wakaandama ngono naswibo takalangana nge guma kwazo.
- African Kalanga
Ngono ndizo ha muwha lunyanga gulila mubuye mushangane naswi ikweno. Ndzimu wedu unotigwila!”
- English21
So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out.
African KalangaTakadwilila nge nshingo, gwamu limwe le balume lakabhata makanu kudwa tjose busikwana kunoswika madekwana kwabhata ne nyenyedzi dzoboneka.
- English22
At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and workmen by day.”
African KalangaMu tjibaka itjetjo ndakadwa bathu kakale ati “Nlume mmwe ne mmwe ne mbhatshi mmwe ne mmwe balale mu Jerusalema kuti ndizo balale bali balingi busiku, ngono masikati babe bashingi.”
- English23
Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.
African KalangaTakati tinoizela imi ne bamwe nami ne balanda bangu ne balindi bangu, takaizela takaambala ntome takabhata zwibhayano zwedu.
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.