The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Nehemiah 6English
Nehemiya 6African Kalanga
- English1
When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it–though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates–
African KalangaNgono ngwenu kukanotjetiwa kuna Sanibalati na Tobiya na Geshemu we N'arabu ne bamwe be zwita zwedu kuti ndakamusa guma kakale akuna ne pang'ompela pakasala mulili, nenguba mu tjibaka itjetjo ndakabe ndisathu alonga zwizhalilo mu mikoba.
- English2
Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were scheming to harm me;
African KalangaSanibalati na Geshemu bakanditumilila ndayidzo inoti “Izha tishangane mu mmwe we mizi ye lubala gwe Ono” Koga bakabe bakazwimisila kundithama tjimwe tjakabipa.
- English3
so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”
African KalangaNgono ndakatumila batumwa ku bali nditi babadwe bati, “Ndoshinga nshingo nkulu kwazo ndizo andingatubule kuzha ikoko. Ini ndakafanila misa nshingo ngekuzha kumuli kene?”
- African Kalanga
Bakanditumila bathu kukabe kanna kose, koga imi abashandula nge zila ing'ompela koga.
- English5
Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter
African KalangaNge zila yakajalo Sanibalati wakatumila nlanda uwe we bushanu ku ndili, ezha akabhata lukwalo gwakazhugwa.
- English6
in which was written: “It is reported among the nations–and Geshem says it is true–that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king
African KalangaKwakabe kwakakwagwa kuyi, “Kwakawhika mu zwitjaba na Geshemu unosisithila kuti iwe ne Bajuta moshaka panduka, ndizo mumusa guma, kakale unoshaka kube mambo wabo, mbiko iyeyi inojalo.
- English7
and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us confer together.”
African KalangaKakale wakashalula balebesambeli kuti bathame zibiso ngekuko mu Jerusalema ‘Kuna mambo mu Juda’ Ngono ngwenu matama iyawa anowoswika mu zebe dza mambo. Ndizo ngwenu izhangeno tilebesane.”
- English8
I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.”
African KalangaNdakantumilila shandulo inoti, “Hakuna tjaunoleba tjashingikala sekwa unoleba, ngobe unozwilebela kudwa mu nkumbulo uwo koga”.
- English9
They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”
African KalangaBose bakabe beshaka kuti totomosa bekumbula beti, “Banowotemeka mafupa ngono abatowoshinga.” Koga ngwenu Ndzimu, thamani kuti maboko angu asime.
- English10
One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you–by night they are coming to kill you.”
African KalangaZhuba limwe ndakati ndiswika mu ng'umba ya Shemaya nkololo wa Delaya iye ali nkololo wa Mehetabele wakabe akazhaliligwa mu ng'umba, kandidwa kati, “Ngatishangane ku Ng'umba ye Ndzimu ku Bugalo gwakayengemala, tizhalile mikoba ye ku Bugalo gwakayengemala, ngoti balume ibaba baswika bawokubulaya, banowozha busiku bawokubulaya.”
- English11
But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should one like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!”
African KalangaNgono ndakati, “Apa nlume unonga imi ungatizha kene? Apa nthu unonga imi ungangina mu Ng'umba ye Ndzimu ka tjila kene? Andidi kuyendako!”
- English12
I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
African KalangaNdakalingisisa ngono abona kuti aazotung'wa nge Ndzimu, koga wakabe endizibisa tjaabona nge kwangu ngobe Tobiya na Sanibalati bakabe bantenga.
- English13
He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.
African KalangaWakabe atengwa kuti ndizo nditotomoke ndibe ndithama saikoku, ndibe ndithama nlandu babe bendipa zina biibi kuti ndizo bandinenele.
- English14
Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me.
African KalangaNdzimu wangu, kumbulani Tobiya na Sanibalati mu zwithu zose zwabakathama ne nlebesambeli Nowadiya ne balebesambeli bose bakabe beshaka kuti nditotomoke.
- African Kalanga
Guma lakapedzisiwa mu zhuba le bumakumi mabili ana mashanu e mwedzi we Eluli mu mazhuba ali makumi mashanu ana mabili.
- English16
When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self- confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.
African KalangaNgono kwakati zwita zwedu zwiwha ne kwako, zwitjaba zwakatikomba zwikatja ngono zwikalashikigwa nge kuzwigalabgwe ngobe bakabe bebona kuti nshingo iwoyu wakashingwa nge bhatsho ye Ndzimu wedu.
- English17
Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them.
African KalangaMu tjibaka itjetjo banokudziwa be Juda bakabe betumilila whalo njinji kuna Tobiya ngono ne shandulo dzakabe dzidwa kuna Tobiya dzikadwilila dzizha kubalibo.
- English18
For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah.
African KalangaBunjinji gwe Bajuta bakabe batuna kubhatshana naye se Tobiya akabe ali nkwasha wa Shekaniya nkololo wa Ara ne nkololo uwe Jehohanani wakabe akalobola nkololokadzi wa Meshulamu nkololo wa Bherekiya.
- English19
Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
African KalangaBakadwilila be ndibudza zwakanaka nge kukwe mbeli kwangu bebuya bembudzabo tjandakaleba. Tobiya iye wakanditumilila whalo kuti nditotomoke.
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.