The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
New Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Mark 7English
Mako 7African Kalanga
- English1
The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and
African KalangaBafarisi ne bamwe Badiyi be nlayo bakabe babva ku Jerusalema bakakubungana pana Jesu.
- African Kalanga
Ngono bakabona badiyiwa babe bamwe bedla ne maboko asimabuyanana, asakangugwa.
- English3
(The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders.
African KalangaBafarisi ne Bajuta bose, abatodla basangula maboko abo ne milenje yabo. Oku banokuthama belondolodza milenje ye bawhola.
- English4
When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)
African KalangaHa bebva ku matengeselo abatodla basangula. Banolondolodza milenje imwe minjinji, inonga suka mikombe ne hali ne zwidla zwe mikokoni.
- English5
So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands?”
African KalangaNdizo Bafarisi ne Badiyi be nlayo bakabhuzwa Jesu bakati, “Ini badiyiwa babo basingalondolodze milenje ye bawhola, bedla zodliwa zwabo ne maboko asimabuyanana?”
- English6
He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
African KalangaKadabila kati, “Isaya wakabe elebesa paakalebela mbeli ne kwenyu batjengedzi ndimwi eti, kwakakwagwa kuyi, ‘Banhu ibaba banondilumbidza ne milomo yabo koga, koga mimoyo yabo ikule nami.
- African Kalanga
Banondipfigamilila suli, ngobe banodiya milayo ye banhu se banodiya nlayo wangu.’
- African Kalanga
“Moletjedza milayo ye Ndzimu, ngono mubhata milenje ye banhu.”
- English9
And he said to them: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!
African KalangaNgono kati kubali, “Muna zila mbuya seni ye bigila ntome milayo ye Ndzimu, kuti ndizo mulondolodze milenje zwenyu!
- English10
For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’
African KalangaMushe wakati, ‘Kudza tate babo na mmeyabo.’ Kakale wakati ‘Iye unoleba bubi nekwa tate babe kene mmeyabe, ne malebeswa ngaafe.’
- English11
But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God),
African KalangaKoga moti nhu ha eti kuna tate babe kene mmeyabe, ‘Tjamakabe makafanila tjidziwa ndimi nditjo tjabe Korobhani, kobva kuti tjapiwa Ndzimu,’
- African Kalanga
ngono kubvapo amutombvumila thamila tjimwe tate babe kene mmeyabe.
- English13
Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
African KalangaNdiko muthama kuti dama le Ndzimu lisihinge, ne milenje yenyu yamunopizila ku bana benyu. Mothama zwinhu zwinjinji zwakajalo.”
- English14
Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this.
African KalangaKakale Jesu kadana mbunga we banhu, ngono kati, “Mundibhulutaneni mose, ngono muwhisise.
- English15
Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean.’”
African KalangaAkuna tjikuhhe kwe mbili we nhu tjinganthama kuti asibe mbuyanana. Koga tjinhu tjinobva mu nhu nditjo tjinonthama kuti asibe mbuyanana.
- African Kalanga
[Una zebe dze wha ngaawhe.]”
- English17
After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable.
African KalangaKukati asiya mbunga we banhu angina mu ng'umba, badiyiwa babe bakambhuzwa nekwe tjifaniso itjetji.
- English18
“Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him ‘unclean’?
African KalangaKati kubali, “Apa namwibo amutowhisisa kene? Amutobona kene kuti akuna tjinongina mu nhu tjibva kuhhe tjinganlonga hambgwa?
- English19
For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean.”)
African KalangaAtjitongina mu moyo uwe, koga tjongina mu ntumbu uwe kubvapo tjibhuda mu mbili uwe.” Ne kujalo Jesu wakabe ebva kuti zodliwa zose zwibuyanana.
- African Kalanga
Kayendilambeli kati, “Tjinobhuda mu nhu nditjo tjinonthama kuti asibe mbuyanana.
- English21
For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
African KalangaNgoti tjinobva mukati kwe nhu, mu moyo uwe, mikumbulo mibi, walilana kuhhe kwe ndobolo ne bubava ne bulaya ne bupombwe,
- African Kalanga
ne tjiba ne bubi ne tjebela ne butjakwani ne bugovu ne ndandala ne tjinya bamwe mazina ne kuzwida ne bulengwe.
- African Kalanga
Zwinhu zose izwezwi zwakayipa zobva mukati kwe nhu, ngono zothama nhu kuti asibe mbuyanana.”
- English24
Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret.
African KalangaJesu wakabhuda ipapo kayenda ku ntunhu we Tire ne we Sidoni, kangina mu ng'umba, ngono kaside kuti kube ne unoziba, koga kasitubule bgwata.
- English25
In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet.
African KalangaMmwe nkadzi wakabe ana mwana we tjianadana wakasungwa ne meya mbi, kahha kawila pa makumbo awe.
- English26
The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
African KalangaNkadzi iwoyo wakabe ali N'giriki, akazwagwa mu Siriya mu ntunhu we Fenishiya. Wakakumbila Jesu kuti aduse meya mbi mu nkololokadzi uwe.
- English27
“First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”
African KalangaJesu kati kuunli, “Letja bana badle kutanga, ngobe akuzolulwama kuti zodliwa zwe bana zwitogwe zwiposegwe mbgwa.”
- African Kalanga
Nkadzi iwoyo kadabila eti, “Kwakajalo He, koga na idzo mbgwa dzikusi kwe tafuli, dzodla mamburumburu anowila pasi ebva mu ndilo dze bana.”
- African Kalanga
Ipapo kambva kati, “Wadabila zubuyanana, ndizo ungayenda, meya mbi yabhuda mu nkololokadzi uwo.”
- African Kalanga
Kayenda kanyi, ngono kawana mmwanadana uwe ali lele mu bulalo meya mbi wabhuda muunli.
- English31
Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.
African KalangaIpapo Jesu kahanduka ebva ku ntunhu we Tire, kapalama Sidoni edelukila ku gungwa gwe Galili ne zila ye ntuhu we Dekapoli.
- English32
There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.
African KalangaBamwe banhu bakahhisa mmwe nlume wakabe ali bhubulazebe, kakale asingatubule lebeleka zubuyanana. Ndizo bakankumbila kumbiga maboko.
- English33
After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue.
African KalangaJesu kati antolela ntome, ebva naye pa mbunga we banhu, kalonga zwinyala zwizwe mu zebe dze nlume iwoyo. Ipapo kapfa mate, ngono kabhata lulimi gwe nlume iwoyo.
- English34
He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”).
African KalangaKalinga hhuhhugwi kudzimu, kafemela pehhugwi, kati kuunli, “Efata” kunobva kuti, “Hhulika.”
- English35
At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
African KalangaZebe dze nlume iwoyo dzikahhulika ne lulimi gugwe gukasununguka, ndizo katangisa lebeleka zubuyanana.
- English36
Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.
African KalangaJesu kabalaya kati kuhaye wababudza. Koga kati ajalo ibo bakakuandamisa kwazo.
- English37
People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
African KalangaBakatjenama kwazo bakati, “Unothama zwinhu zose kubuyanana seni? Unothama ne mabhubulazebe akawha ne mbebebe dzikalebeleka.”
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.