Some 3.6 million people in South Africa speak Southern Sotho with almost half of them residing in the Free State. However, the language i also spoken in Lesotho where different spelling rules apply. Translation of the Bible in Southern Sotho started as far back as 1836 with the complete Bible being published in 1878. This Bible, which is still in use, was revised in 1909. It is referred to as the Old Translation (form-based) and "Bibile". The newest translation of the Bible, which is a thought for thought translation, was completed in 1989 and is known as the "Phetolelo e Ntjha".