The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
Old Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Ruth 4English
Ruti 4African Kalanga
- English1
Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat there. When the kinsman-redeemer he had mentioned came along, Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.
African KalangaIpapo Bhoazi kayenda ku lubazhe pa nkoba we nzi kagala pasi. N'galithaka upejo wakalingisana ngogalathaka, tjinyolotjo kapinda, iye Bhoazi waakabe aleba, ngono kan'dana kati, “Zha ngeno nkwinya ugale pasi.” Ngono kazha kagala pasi.
- African Kalanga
Bhoazi katola balume bali gumi bali bamwe be bakulu be nzi kabadwa kati, “Galani pasi ipapa.” Bakagala pasi.
- English3
Then he said to the kinsman-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech.
African KalangaNgono kabe edwa n'galithaka iwoyo eti, “Naomi whoyu wabuya edwa ku shango ye Moabu unotengesa nnda iwoyu wakabe uli wa Elimeleki, mwana wa tate bedu.
- English4
I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.” “I will redeem it,” he said.
African KalangaNdakumbula kuti ndikubudze nge kwako, ngono nditi uutenge mbeli kwa ibaba bagele ipapa nenge mbeli kwe bakulu be lutshinga gwangu. Ha ili kuti unoutengunula uutengunule. Koga ha usingautengunule, undibudze kuti ndizibe, ngoti akuna mmwe wakalingisana umbeli kuko ungautengunula. Imi ndimi ndinokutobela.” Iye kabe eti, “Ndoutengunula.”
- English5
Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi and from Ruth the Moabitess, you acquire the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”
African KalangaIpapo Bhoazi kabe eti, “Zhuba launotengunula nnda iwoyo kuna Naomi unotengunulilanya na Ruti we N'moabu we tjilikadzi, kudwilidza zina le wakafa mu thaka iye.”
- English6
At this, the kinsman-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.”
African KalangaN'galithaka iwoyo kati ewha ikoku kati, “Andingautengunule, ngoti ndingadwa nditjinya thaka yangu. Tola fanilo dzangu uuzwitengunuligwe.”
- English7
(Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.)
African KalangaMu misi ya zhulo mu Iziraela tjilenje tje kutengunula ne tje kuteetshanya thundu tjakabe tjithamwa sawhoku: nlume wakabe embula shangu iye ing'ompela eipa ikamu tjitje. Ikoku ndiko kwakabe kulakidza kuti tjidumano tjawila nge Tjiiziraela.
- African Kalanga
N'galithaka upejo kadwa Bhoazi kati, “Uuzwitengunuligwe,” kambula shangu iye.
- English9
Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion and Mahlon.
African KalangaIpapo Bhoazi kati ku bakulu ne ku bathu bose bakabe bali ipapo, “Nasi mu batendeki bekuti ndatenga kuna Naomi kose kwakabe kuli kwa Elimeleki ne kwakabe kuli kwa Kilioni na Mahiloni.
- English10
I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from the town records. Today you are witnesses!”
African KalangaNa Ruti we N'moabu, nkadzi wa Mahiloni, ndantengelanyabo kube nkadzi wangu kudwilidza zina le nfi kuti lisife mu ludzi gugwe mu lubazhe gwa kanyi kukwe. Nasi mu batendeki.”
- English11
Then the elders and all those at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.
African KalangaIpapo bathu bose bakabe bali pa nkoba ne bakulu bakati, “Ti batendeki. Yahwe ngabathame iwoyu nkadzi unozha ku ng'umba iyo ange Rahele na Liya bakabaka ng'umba ya Iziraela. Iwe uthame bana mu Efurata ube ne zina mu Bhetelehema.
- English12
Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.”
African KalangaBana baunowopiwa ndi Yahwe nge ndwana iwoyu utjintjetjana, bathame nsha uwo unge wa Perezi wakazwagwa ndi Juda na Tama.”
- English13
So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. Then he went to her, and the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.
African KalangaNdizo Bhoazi katola Ruti kanlobola. Bakashangana ngono Yahwe bakankombolela kazwisenga kawana mwana we tjilisana.
- English14
The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman- redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel!
African KalangaIpapo bakadzi bakati ngekwa Naomi, “Ngakukudziwe Yahwe nasi, basakusiya, usina ntjengeti. Zina lile ngalizibgwe mu Iziraela!
- English15
He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
African KalangaUnowothama butjilo gugo gukabe butshwa, kabe n'yengi uwo mu kukula kuko. Nlongo uwo unokuda, unopinda bakololo bali kutendeka ku kuli, ngobe wanzwala.”
- African Kalanga
Naomi ipapo katola mwana kanfukatila kabe nledzi uwe.
- English17
The women living there said, “Naomi has a son.” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
African KalangaBakadzi be babakidzani bakampa zina beti, “Nkololo wazwaligwa Naomi.” Bakantumila beti Obedi. Ndiye wakabe ali tate ba Jesi, Jesi tate ba Dafite.
- African Kalanga
Ogu ndigo ludzi gwa Perezi: Perezi wakazwala Hezironi,
- African Kalanga
Hezironi kazwala Ramu, Ramu tate ba Aminadabhu,
- African Kalanga
Aminadabhu kazwala Nashoni, Nashoni tate ba Salimoni,
- African Kalanga
Salimoni kazwala Bhoazi, Bhoazi tate ba Obedi,
- African Kalanga
Obedi kazwala Jesi, Jesi tate ba Dafite.
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.