The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Numbers 14English
Mbalo 14African Kalanga
- African Kalanga
Ipapo gubungano lose lakadila guwo, bakalala belila busiku gose.
- English2
All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert!
African KalangaBakabe beng'ong'ola ngekwa Mushe na Aroni beti, “Kobe kuyita atakabe takafila mu shango ye Egipiti, pana kuti tiwofila mu tjilambanyika itjetji!
- English3
Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
African KalangaApa ini Yahwe bangatizhisa mu shango iyeyi, kuwobulawa nge thumo kene? Bakadzi bedu ne bana bedu bawotapiwa, apa akungayite atingabgwilila ku Egipiti kene?”
- African Kalanga
Ngono bakalebesana bakati, “Atizwishalulileni ntungamili tibgwilileni ku Egipiti!”
- African Kalanga
Ndizo Mushe na Aroni bakathigama bakakotamisa misholo mbeli kwe gubungano lose le Baiziraela.
- English6
Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes
African KalangaNgono Joshuwa nkololo wa Nuni na Khalebu nkololo wa Jefune, bamwe be bakabe banoshola shango, bakapalula zwiambalo zwabo.
- English7
and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good.
African KalangaBakadwa gubungano lose le Baiziraela bakati, “Shango yatakapalama kunoishola i shango yakanaka kwazo kwazo.
- English8
If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us.
African KalangaHa Yahwe bangatishathila, banowotikotosa muili bakatipa iyo, shango inowunga nkaka ne butji gwe nyutji.
- English9
Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”
African KalangaKoga musitongopandukila Yahwe, kakale musitongotja bathu be shango iyeyije, bamu maboko edu, kubakiligwa kwabo kwakadusiwa mubali, kakale musitongobatja, Yahwe banaswi.”
- English10
But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites.
African KalangaIpapo gubungano lose likalebesana kuti libakikitidze nge mabgwe bafe. Ngono tjinyolotjo tjedza tja Yahwe tjikazwilakidza pezhugwi kwe nshasha we bushanganilo mu bathu bose be Iziraela.
- English11
The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?
African KalangaYahwe bakadwa Mushe bakati, “Apa kowodza kukabe lini bathu ibaba bendilengudza kene? Kowodza kukabe lini basingagale moyo mundili, pezhugwi kwe zwilakidzo zose zwingapa zwandakabathamila kene?
- English12
I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.”
African KalangaNdowobabulaya nge bugwele, ndibe ndibadusa mu thaka, ngono ndowothama ludzi lukulu ndiwe kakale gwakasima kubapinda.”
- English13
Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them.
African KalangaMushe kadwa Yahwe kati, “Makadusa bathu ibaba mu Egipiti nge simba lenyu; ngono ha Baegipiti bangawha tjamathama bathu benyu,
- English14
And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, O Lord, are with these people and that you, O Lord, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
African Kalangabanowobudza bagali be shango iyeyi. Bathu ibaba bakawha kale kuti munaswi, imwi Yahwe ne kuti mobong'wa muli patjena ha gole lenyu lima lakaangama pezhugwi kwedu ne kuti moyenda makatitungamila nge gole kuli masikati nenge moto kuli busiku.
- English15
If you put these people to death all at one time, the nations who have heard this report about you will say,
African KalangaNgono ngwenu, ha mungalobesa bathu bose ibaba, shule kwa ikoku zwitjaba zwakawha ngekwe tjibombo tjenyu zowoti,
- English16
‘The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath; so he slaughtered them in the desert.’
African Kalanga‘Ngoti Yahwe bakong'wa kunokotosa bathu ibaba mu shango yabakatuna beti banowobapa iyo, ndizo babalobesa mu tjilambanyika.’
- African Kalanga
Ngono ngwenu, ndomutembezela Tetshi wangu, thamani kuti simba la Yahwe libe gulu sekwa makagadzabgwe, muti,
- English18
‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.’
African Kalanga‘Yahwe banononoka kuzhala bushongola, kakale bazhele ludo gusingazunguzike, banozwiibhatigwa jinyo ne bupanduki, koga abatowosunungula una nlandu ndodwa, banolobela bana matjinyo abo tate babo kunoti ku tjizekugwana tje butatu ne tje bunna.’
- English19
In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”
African KalangaNdomutembezela Yahwe, muzwiibhatigwe jinyo le bathu ibaba kuyendidzana nge ludo gwenyu gusingazunguzike, ne kuyendidzana na sekwa makabazwiibhatigwa kudwa ku shango ye Egipiti kudzina kowobe nasi.”
- African Kalanga
Ipapo Yahwe bakadabila beti, “Sekwa wakumbila, ndabazwiibhatigwa,
- English21
Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth,
African Kalangakoga tjoselele se nditjila, ne shango yose sekwa yawozhala gudzo langu,
- English22
not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times–
African KalangaBathu bose bakabona gudzo langu ne zwilakidzo zwangu zwandakathama mu Egipiti ne mu tjilambanyika, ngono bakandilika ka gumi bakasiwhilile dama langu,
- English23
not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.
African KalangaAkuna wabo unowobona shango yandakagadzabgwe bobatategulu babo, kakale akuna wa ibabo bakandilengudza unowoibona.
- English24
But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.
African KalangaKoga nlanda wangu Khalebu, ngoti akabe nge meya isingafanane neye bamwe kakale kandiwhilila, ndononkotosa ku shango yaakanoshola, ne zwizekugwana zwizwe zowothuwa shango iyeyo.
- English25
Since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.”
African KalangaSakuno, se Baamaleki ne Bakanana begala mu mikuku, mangwana mushanduke mu ngine mu tjilambanyika nge zila inoyenda ku Gungwa Shaba.”
- African Kalanga
Yahwe bakadwa Mushe na Aroni bakati,
- English27
“How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.
African Kalanga“Apa kowodza kukabe lini gubungano ileli lakakombama ling'ong'ola nge kwangu kene? Ndakawha ndebeleko dze Baiziraela, dze kung'ong'ola kwabo.
- English28
So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say:
African KalangaNgwenu ubadwe uti, ‘Tjoselele se nditjila, ndowomuthamila sekwa makaleba mulonga mu zebe dzangu, koleba Yahwe.
- English29
In this desert your bodies will fall–every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me.
African KalangaZwitumbu zwenyu zowoandama mu tjilambanyika itjetji, kudwa muna be makole ali makumi mabili bakazwagwa kuyenda pezhugwi akuna unowongina mu shango iyeyije.
- English30
Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
African KalangaAkuna ne nng'ompela wenyu unowoswika mu shango yandakatuna nditi ndowomugadza muili kuzhe kwa Khalebu nkololo wa Jefune na Joshuwa nkololo wa Nuni
- English31
As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected.
African KalangaKoga bana benyu bamakati banowotapiwa, ndowobakotosa, banowoziba shango yamakalamba.
- African Kalanga
Koga imwi mowofa zwitumbu zwenyu zwika kandalala mu tjilambanyika itjetji.
- English33
Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert.
African KalangaBana benyu banowodzungayila mu tjilambanyika bali balisi kwe makole ali makumi manna (40), bedziyilila matjinyo enyu, kudzina nfi we bupelo itumbu tjitje tjiwila mu tjilambanyika.
- English34
For forty years–one year for each of the forty days you explored the land–you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’
African KalangaKuyendidzana nge mazhuba amakapalama shango muishola ali makumi manna (40) zhuba ling'ompela limwe ne limwe limilile gole, ngono mowosenga matjinyo enyu makole ali makumi manna (40). Ndiko kwamunowoziba kuti ku gwadza moyo kwangu kodwani!
- English35
I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this desert; here they will die.”
African KalangaImi Yahwe, ndiko ndaleba, oku ndiko kwandinowothama mu gubungano lose ileli libiibi lakakubunganila kundipandukila. Banowoswika pa bhelelo labo mu tjilambanyika itjetji, banowofila ipapo.’ ”
- English36
So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it–
African KalangaIpapo balume bakabe batumwa ndi Mushe kunoshola shango, bebe bezha bethama gubungano kuti li dudumwe ngekwa Yahwe ngopa mbiko ye manyepkhwa,
- English37
these men responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord.
African Kalangabakalobesiwa mbeli kwa Yahwe.
- English38
Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.
African KalangaJoshuwa nkololo wa Nuni na Khalebu nkololo wa Jefune ndibo boga bakasala pafa, mu balume bakabe banoshola shango.
- African Kalanga
Kukati Mushe ebikila bathu be Iziraela bose matama iyawa, bakalila tjililo tjikulu.
- English40
Early the next morning they went up toward the high hill country. “We have sinned,” they said. “We will go up to the place the Lord promised.”
African KalangaBakabinduka, bakatathila ku shango ye matombo, bakabe beti, “Tipano, ngatiyendeni kwatakagadziwabgwe ndi Yahwe, ngobe takatjinya.”
- African Kalanga
Koga Mushe kabadwa kati, “Apa ini mutjuluka ndaulo ya Yahwe ngono kusina tjinowopunduka.”
- African Kalanga
Musiyende, zwita zwenyu zonomukulila, Yahwe abate bali mile namwi.
- English43
for the Amalekites and Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword.”
African KalangaMowonofila mu maboko e Baamaliki ne Bakanana, mowolobesiwa nge thumo, ngobe moshandukila Yahwe, Yahwe abangame namwi.
- English44
Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp.
African KalangaKoga nge misholo yakawoma bakatathila ku shango ye matombo, nenguba kwakajalo Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe basinalo, kene iye Mushe kasibhude mu bukotokelo.
- English45
Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.
African KalangaIpapo Baamaliki ne Bakanana bakabe begala mu shango iyeyo ye matombo bakadeluka bakagwa nabo, bakabakulila bakatatana nabo bakanobasiya ku Horima.
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.