The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Numbers 23English
Mbalo 23African Kalanga
- African Kalanga
Ngono Bhalamu kadwa Bhalaki kati, “Undibakile zwibeso zwili kutendeka ipapa, ube undilulwamisila mikong'wana ili kutendeka ne nyundo dzili kutendeka.”
- African Kalanga
Bhalaki kathama tjaadwiwa ndi Bhalamu, ngono iye na Bhalamu bakayisa tjibhayilo tje nkong'wana ne tje nyundo mu tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tjimwe ne tjimwe.
- English3
Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet with me. Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you.” Then he went off to a barren height.
African KalangaBhalamu kadwa Bhalaki kati, “Ima pa tjibhayilo tjitjo tjinopisiwa, imi ndi yendile mbelinyana, pamwe Yahwe banowozha kundili, ngono tjabanobe bandilakidza itjo ndowokubudza.” Bhalamu kabe etathila pezhugwi kwe dombo.
- English4
God met with him, and Balaam said, “I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”
African KalangaNdzimu ukashangana naye, Bhalamu kadwa Ndzimu kati, “Ndabaka zwibeso zwili kutendeka, ngono mu tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tjimwe ne tjimwe ndayisa nkong'wana ne nyundo.”
- English5
The Lord put a message in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this message.”
African KalangaYahwe bakalonga matama abo mu nlomo wa Bhalamu, bakan'dwa beti, “Bgwilila kuna Bhalaki, ngono umbudze matama iyawa.”
- English6
So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the princes of Moab.
African KalangaNgono kabgwilila kuna Bhalaki, kanon'wana ali mile ana makulukota wose e Moabu pa tjibhayilo tjitje tjinopisiwa.
- English7
Then Balaam uttered his oracle: “Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel.’
African KalangaBhalamu katangisa ndebeleko iye kati: “Bhalaki mambo we Moabu wakanonditola ku Aramu, ku bhezhuba kwe matombo, Wakati, ‘buya, undilongele bhiso muna Jakubo, buya undilongele Iziraela bhiso.’
- English8
How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced?
African KalangaApa ndingalonga bhiso tjini muna usakalongwa bhiso nge Ndzimu,? Ndingabona nlandu tjini mu nthu usakabongwa nlandu ndi Yahwe?
- English9
From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them. I see a people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations.
African KalangaNgoti ndombona ndili pezhugwi kwe matombo, ndombona ali mu matombo. Bona, itjaba tjinogala tjili tjoga. Kakale atjitozwibalila mu zwimwe zwitjaba.
- English10
Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my end be like theirs!”
African KalangaNdiani ungabala zwizekugwana zwa Jakubo zwinji se whuluba, Banjinji kwazo mu kubagwa. Letja ndife lufu gwe nlulwami; Ne bhelelo langu linge lile.”
- English11
Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!”
African KalangaNgono Bhalaki kadwa Bhalamu kati, “Apa wandithamilani kene? Ndakanokutolela kuwolonga bhiso mu zwita zwangu, ngono bona, akuna tjawathama, akusi kubakombolela.”
- African Kalanga
Ngono kan'dabila eti, “Apa andizofanila kuleba tjandadwiwa ndi Yahwe kene?”
- English13
Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place where you can see them; you will see only a part but not all of them. And from there, curse them for me.”
African KalangaBhalaki kadwa Bhalamu kati, “Ngatiyende tose, paungati ulipo ukabona bamwe be Baizaraela. Unowobona bamwe babo banowobe bali pejo, aungababone bose. Ube undilongela bhiso mubali uli paunowobe ulipo.”
- English14
So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah, and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
African KalangaKayenda naye ku shango ye Zofimu pezhugwi kwe Dombo le Pisiga, bakaswika bakabaka zwibeso zwili kutendeka, bakapisila tjibhayilo tje nkong'wana ne tje nyundo mu tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tjimwe ne tjimwe.
- African Kalanga
Bhalamu kadwa Bhalaki kati, “Ima ipapa kubapa ne tjibhayilo tjitjo tjinopisiwa, nditjanoshangana na Yahwe tjandiyeno.”
- English16
The Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this message.”
African KalangaYahwe bakashangana na Bhalamu, bakalonga matama abo mu nlomo uwe, bakan'dwa beti, “Bgwilila kuna Bhalaki, ngono umbudze matama iyawa.”
- English17
So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the princes of Moab. Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”
African KalangaNgono kaswika kunli, kawana alimile kubapa ne tjibhayilo tjitje tjinopisiwa ana makulukota e Moabu. Bhalaki kambhuzwa kati, “Yahwe balebani?”
- African Kalanga
Bhalamu katangisa ndebeleko iye kati: “Milika, Bhalaki uwhe; Unditeedze, iwe nkololo wa Zipori
- English19
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
African KalangaNdzimu autonga nthu, kwaunganyepa; Autonga nthu, kwaungashandula nkumbulo. Apa ungati tjawaleba, ukasi tjithame kene? Kene tjawagadzabgwe, aungatjishingikadze kene?
- African Kalanga
Bona, ndakapiwa ndaulo kuti ndikombolele, Ha Ndzimu wakombolela, andingabgwilize shule.
- English21
“No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel. The Lord their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them.
African KalangaAuzowana mbipo muna Jakubo kene kuli kubona mang'oni mu Iziraela. Yahwe Ndzimu wabo unabo, kulumbidziwa kwa mambo kupakati kwabo
- African Kalanga
Ndzimu wakabadusa mu Egipiti, wakabagwila se nyati.
- English23
There is no sorcery against Jacob, no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘See what God has done!’
African KalangaAkuna pheku muna Jakubo, akuna hakata dzingashingisiwa mu Iziraela. Ngwenu kowolebgwa ngekwa Jakubo na Iziraela kuyi, ‘Bona tjathamwa nge Ndzimu!’
- English24
The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till he devours his prey and drinks the blood of his victims.”
African KalangaBona bathu ibaba, banomadzuka se shumbakadzi. Kakale tjomuka se shumbalume, Aitoizela isazandabula phuka ikaja, Kudzina ing'wa malopa e zwayabulaya.”
- African Kalanga
Ndizo Bhalaki kadwa Bhalamu kati, “Se walamba tjose kulonga bhiso mu Iziraela, usitongo ikombolela tjose.”
- African Kalanga
Koga Bhalamu kadabila Bhalaki eti, “Apa andizokubudza kose Yahwe kwabakati ndithame kene?”
- English27
Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come, let me take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there.”
African KalangaBhalaki kadwa Bhalamu kati, “Ngatiyende, ngwenu ndowokuyisa ntome. Pamwe kowoshathisa Ndzimu kuti undilongele bhiso kudwa ikweno.”
- African Kalanga
Ipapo Bhalaki kayisa Bhalamu pezhugwi kwe Dombo le Peori kwaungalingila tjilambanyika pasi.
- African Kalanga
Bhalamu kadwa Bhalaki kati, “Undibakile zwibeso zwili kutendeka ipapa, ube undizhisila mikong'wana ili kutendeka ne nyundo dzili kutendeka.”
- African Kalanga
Ngono Bhalaki kathama sekwa adwiwa ndi Bhalamu, kayisa tjibhayilo tje nkong'wana ne tje nyundo mu tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tjimwe ne tjimwe.
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.