The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Nehemiah 5English
Nehemiya 5African Kalanga
- African Kalanga
Ngono ngwenu kwakabe nge tjililo tjikulu mu bathu bose, balume ne bakadzi belidziwa nge bakanyikwabo be Bajuta.
- English2
Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.”
African KalangaKwakabe kuna bamwe bakabe beti “Iswi ne bakololo ne bakololokadzi bedu tatjibe banjisa, ngatishakeni mathunde atingaja kuti ndizo titjile.”
- English3
Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.”
African KalangaKukabe ne bamwe bakabe beti “Takadusa minda yedu ne minda ye zhambi ne ng'umba dzedu mbigilidzo kuti ndizo titenge mathunde mu nsi we bhamba.”
- English4
Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.
African KalangaKakale kwakabe kuna ibabo bakabe beti “Takaadzima mari kuti tilipe lukhetho gwe minda yedu ne minda ye zhambi kuna mambo.
- English5
Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.”
African KalangaTofanana koga ne Bajuta bamwe. Bana bedu banofanana koga ne bana babo, nenguba iswi tikombeledza bakololo ne bakololokadzi bedu kuti babe balanda, bamwe be bakololokadzi bedu batjitengeswa babe balanda kale, atina simba, shango yedu ne minda yedu ye zhambi ya tjibe ye bapoga.”
- African Kalanga
Ndakatindiwha tjililo tjabo ne ng'ong'olo dzabo azhala bushongola kwazo.
- English7
I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!” So I called together a large meeting to deal with them
African KalangaShule kwe ndakumbula kukulu, ndakatjemela makulukota ne makombgwa abadwa nditi “Mungakombeledza bakanyi kwenyu kudusa mimwiso tjini wali?” Ngono ndakabadanila gubungano gulu kwazo kuti libatjemele kwazo.
- English8
and said: “As far as possible, we have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.
African KalangaNgono abadwa ndikati “Ngotubula kwedu takadzutunula bakanyi kwedu be Bajuta bakabe batengesegwa be zwitjaba zwipoga, koga ngwenu imwi motengesa bakanyi kwenyu kuti ndizo tibatengesegwe!” Bakanyalala koga bakasheta dama labangadusa.
- English9
So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?
African KalangaNgono ati ku bali “Tjithu tjamunothama atjizonaka. Apa amuzofanila tja Ndzimu wedu kuti ndizo tisibe madado ku zwita zwedu zwe zwitjaba kene?
- English10
I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop!
African KalangaPezhugwi kwa ipapo imi ne hama dzangu ne balanda bangu tobaadzima mari ne mathunde. Ngono ngatimiseni kutola mimwiso ikoku.
- English11
Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them–the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil.”
African KalangaBgwilizani ngwenu minda yabo ne minda yabo ye zhambi ne minda ye mitoba ne ng'umba dzabo ne mimwiso ye mari, ne ye mathunde, ne ye nkumbi we zhambi ne mafuta izo zwamakabatolela.”
- English12
“We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.” Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised.
African KalangaNgono bakandidwa beti, “Towobabgwilizila tjimwe ne tjimwe kakale akuna tjatinowoshaka mu bali. Towothama sekwa munoleba.” Ngono ndakadana bapirisiti ndikabatunisa kuti banowoshingikadza tjabaleba.
- English13
I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “In this way may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. So may such a man be shaken out and emptied!” At this the whole assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.
African KalangaNdakashashamula whomwana dze tjiambalo tjangu ngono ati “Ndzimu ngaushashamule nthu mmwe ne mmwe mu ng'umba iye nenge thundu imwe ne imwe usingowothama tjalebgwa. Ngaashashamugwe asale asina tjaanatjo” Ngono gubungano lose likadabila liti “Ngakujalo” ndizo bakakudza Yahwe. Ndizo bathu bakathama sekwa bakabebeleba.
- English14
Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year– twelve years–neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.
African KalangaKudwa mu tjibaka itjetjo ndakabe ndashalugwa kube nlauli mu shango ye Juda, kudwa mu gole le bumakumi mabili kunoti le bumakumi matatu ana mabili. Mu makole ali gumi lina mabili e mbuso wa Atazezasi mambo, akuna wedu, imi kene wa kanyi kwedu wakaja zojiwa zwakabe zwili zwe gobe le nlauli.
- English15
But the earlier governors–those preceding me– placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that.
African KalangaBalauli bekutanga bakazha bakabe belemesela bathu nge kubatolela zojiwa ne nkumbi we zhambi kusingabaligwe shekele dze siliva dzili makumi manna (40) dzabakabe betolegwabo. Balanda babo bakabe betshambidzila bathu bo. Imi andizothama saibo ngotja Ndzimu.
- English16
Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land.
African KalangaKoga imi ndakabe ndakazwimisila kushinga nshingo we kumusa guma, atizotongo tenga shango, bathu bose bakabe beshinga nami takabe takabhatana mu nshingo.
- English17
Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations.
African KalangaKakale ndakabe ndijisa balume bali zana ling'ompela lina makumi ali mashanu (150), Bajuta ne mamwe makombgwa kuzhe kwa ibabo be tjaba dzakapoteleka bakabe banaswi.
- English18
Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry were prepared for me, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people.
African KalangaNge zhuba kwakabe kubulawa ng'ombe ili ing'ompela ne pkhwizi dzili tathatu ne whuku mazhuba mamwe ne mamwe ali gumi ndakabe ndidusa nkumbi we zhambi wakasiya siyana uli njinji kwazo. Ngono nenguba ndakadusa zwithu zose izwezwi andizotongo shaka kupiwa gobe le zojiwa linopiwa balauli, ngobe ndakabe ndiziba kuti ikoku kungabe ntolo ungapani mu bathu.
- African Kalanga
Mundikumbule Ndzimu wangu muna zose zwandakathamila bathu ibaba.
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.