| Joseph Friedlander, comp. The Standard Book of Jewish Verse. 1917. | | | | Esteeming the Bible | | By Horatius Bonar |
| | | THIS holy book I’d rather own, | |
| Than all the gold and gems | |
| That e’er in monarchs’ coffers shone, | |
| Than all their diadems. | |
| |
| Nay, were the seas one chrysolite, | 5 |
| The earth one golden ball, | |
| And diadems all the stars of night, | |
| This book outweighs them all. | |
| |
| Ah, no, the soul ne’er found relief | |
| In glittering hoards of wealth; | 10 |
| Gems dazzle not the eye of grief, | |
| Gold cannot purchase health. | |
| |
| But here a blessed balm appears | |
| To heal the deepest woe, | |
| And those who read this book in tears, | 15 |
| Their tears shall cease to flow. | | | | |
|
|
