The English-Kalanga Bilingual Language Learning Bible
New Testament
Read each verse in English beside its African Kalanga equivalent.
Matthew 23English
Matewu 23African Kalanga
- African Kalanga
Ipapo Jesu kalebeleka ne mibunga ye banhu ne badiyiwa babe eti,
- African Kalanga
“Badiyi be nlayo ne Bafarisi bagele mu tjigalo tja Mushe.
- English3
So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
African KalangaNdizo itani kuti mulondolodze tjimwe ne tjimwe tjabanomubudza. Koga musitongo hinga zwabanohinga, ngobe abatohinga zwabanoleba.
- English4
They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
African KalangaBanosunga mitolo mikukutu inolema beibiga mu mapfudzi e banhu, koga ibo tjekwabo basingake bakainyanyula.
- English5
“Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;
African KalangaZose zwabanoyita nde zwe mashonga ndibong'we. Banothama zwitshwegu zwabo zwe mitembezelo zwikabe zwilefu ne mahabi e hazu dzabo dze mitembezelo kabe malefu.
- African Kalanga
Banoda magalo a pehhugwi mu mizano ne magalo mabuya mu ng'umba dze mitembezelo.
- African Kalanga
Banoda lezwiwa ku matengeselo ne dang'wa ne banhu kuyi, ‘N'diyi.’
- English8
“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers.
African KalangaKoga imwi amuzofanila dang'wa kuyi ‘N'diyi,’ ngobe muna N'diyi ali ung'ompela koga kakale imwi mose mu makamu.
- African Kalanga
Kakale musitongo dana mmwe muti tate mu hango, ngobe muna tate bang'ompela ba kudzimu.
- African Kalanga
Kene musitongo dang'wa kuyi ‘Ntungamili,’ ngobe muna ntungamili ng'ompela koga Mesiya.
- African Kalanga
Nkulu tjose pakati kwenyu wakafanila kube nlanda wenyu.
- African Kalanga
Iye unozwikudza unowoyisiwa pasi na iye unozwiyisa pasi unowokudziwa.
- English13
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
African Kalanga“Yee mme wee! Mapalala imwi badiyi be nlayo ne Bafarisi, batjengedzi ndimwi! Mohhalilila banhu buhe gwe kudzimu. Imwi ne kwenyu amutongina mu buhe gwe Ndzimu kakale amutoletja banohaka ngina bakangina. (Lingani Mako 12:40)
- English15
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
African Kalanga“Yee mme wee! Mapalala imwi badiyi be nlayo ne Bafarisi, batjengedzi ndimwi! Moyenda hango yose ne gungwa kuhandulila nhu nng'ompela mu bugalimoyo gwe Tjijuta, koga kati ahanduka mukan'yita mwana we mbipo kabili kupinda sekwa muli iko.
- English16
“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
African Kalanga“Yee mme wee! Mapalala imwi mapofu e batungamili! Moti, ‘Ha mmwe etuna ne Ng'umba ye Ndzimu, akutoti tjimwe, koga ha mmwe etuna ne golide le Ng'umba ye Ndzimu wasungwa ngotuna kukwe.’
- African Kalanga
Mapofu e zwilengwe ndimwi! Tjikulu nditjipi, i golide kene Ng'umba ye Ndzimu inoyita kuti golide liyengemale?
- English18
You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’
African KalangaKakale moti, ‘Ha mmwe etuna ne tjibeso, akutoti tjimwe, koga ha mmwe etuna ne tjipo tjipehhugwi kwatjo, wasungwa ngotuna kukwe.’
- African Kalanga
Mapofu e banhu ndimwi! Tjikulu nditjipi, tjipo kene tjibeso tjinoyita tjipo kuti tjiyengemale?
- African Kalanga
Ndizo iye unotuna ne tjibeso unotuna nditjo na iko kose kumutjili;
- African Kalanga
na iye unotuna ne Ng'umba ye Ndzimu unotuna ndiyo, na iye unogala muili.
- African Kalanga
Na iyebo unotuna ne kudzimu unotuna ne tjigalo tje buhe gwe Ndzimu na iye ugele pehhugwi kwatjo.
- English23
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices–mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law–justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
African Kalanga“Yee mme wee! Mapalala imwi badiyi be nlayo ne Bafarisi, batjengedzi ndimwi, mopa tjebugumi tje matenjana enyu e nvavani ne dili ne kumini. Koga moletjedza zwikulu kwazo zwe nlayo: kusumikilisa kwakalulwama ne mawhilo zogwadza ne kugalamoyo. Mobe muyita izwezwi koga musingalahe zwimwe.
- African Kalanga
Mapofu e batungamili ndimwi! Mowungunula nyunyu koga mumidza kamela.
- English25
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
African Kalanga“Yee mme wee! Mapalala imwi badiyi be nlayo ne Bafarisi, batjengedzi ndimwi! Mosuka kuhhe kwe nkombe ne ndilo koga mukati dzihhele kusazwidziba ne bugovu.
- English26
Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
African KalangaMfarisi we bhofu ndiwe! Suka mukati kwe nkombe ne ndilo kutanga, ndizo na kuhhe kwayo kowobe kubuyananabo.
- English27
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.
African Kalanga“Yee mme wee! Mapalala imwi badiyi be nlayo ne Bafarisi, batjengedzi ndimwi! Mofanana ne zwikumbu zwakadzulugwa ne butjena, zwakanaka kuhhe koga mukati zwili hhele mafupa e banhu bakafa ne zwakatemapala.
- English28
In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
African KalangaSa ikoko, kuhhe molingika ku banhu muli balulwami, koga mukati muhhele butjengedzi ne jinyo.
- English29
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.
African Kalanga“Yee mme wee! Mapalala imwi badiyi be nlayo ne Bafarisi, batjengedzi ndimwi! Mobakilila zwikumbu zwe balebesambeli mukanakisa zwikumbu zwe balulwami,
- English30
And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
African Kalangamuti, ‘Hatingabe takatjila mu misi ya bobatategulu bedu, tingabe tisakabhatana nabo mu n’hingo we tebula malopa e balebesambeli.’
- English31
So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.
African KalangaNdizo mozwileba kuti mu bana be banhu bakabulaya balebesambeli.
- African Kalanga
Hhadzisani tjilizanyo tje jinyo la bobatategulu benyu.
- African Kalanga
Nyoka ne nyokana ndimwi! Apa mowotihha tjini sumikilisigwa lashigwa mu moto usingadzime?
- English34
Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.
African KalangaNdizo ndomutumila balebesambeli ne balume bakatjenjela ne badiyi be nlayo. Bamwe babo mowobabulaya mukababambula, bamwe mubaloba mu ng'umba dzenyu dze mitembezelo mukabadziyidza nzi ne nzi.
- English35
And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
African KalangaNdizo kowobe pehhugwi kwenyu malopa e balulwami akatebugwa mu hango, kutangisa ne malopa a Abele usina nlandu kunoti mu malopa a Zakariya nkololo wa Bharakiya wamakabulayila pakati kwe Ng'umba ye Ndzimu ne tjibeso.
- African Kalanga
Ndolebesa ndoti kumuli, kose ikoku kowohha pehhugwi kwe banhu bangwenu.
- English37
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.
African Kalanga“Jerusalema, Jerusalema wee! Iwe unobulaya balebesambeli ukakikithidza ne mabgwe ibabo batumwa kukuli. Ndikangana ndiyemula kubunganya bana babo se whuku ibubatila whukwana dzayo ne mapapiro ayo, koga ulamba.
- African Kalanga
Bona, ng'umba iyo yafupatigwa kakale yabe dongo.
- English39
For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
African KalangaNdizoke ndokubudza nditi, autowondibona kakale kuswikila uti, ‘Unamhahhambuya iye unohha ne zina la He.’”
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.