| Joseph Friedlander, comp. The Standard Book of Jewish Verse. 1917. | | | | The Bible | | By Phoebe Palmer |
| | | BLESSED Bible! how I love it! | |
| How it doth my bosom cheer! | |
| What hath earth like this to covet? | |
| O, what stores of wealth are here! | |
| Man was lost and doomed to sorrow; | 5 |
| Not one ray of light or bliss | |
| Could he from earth’s treasures borrow, | |
| ’Till his way was cheered by this? | |
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| Yes, I’ll to my bosom press thee, | |
| Precious Word, I’ll hide thee here; | 10 |
| Sure my very heart will bless thee, | |
| For thou ever sayest “good cheer”: | |
| Speak, my heart, and tell thy ponderings, | |
| Tell how far thy rovings led, | |
| When This Book brought back thy wanderings, | 15 |
| Speaking life as from the dead. | |
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| Yes, sweet Bible! I will hide thee | |
| Deep, yes, deeper in this heart; | |
| Thou, through all my life will guide me, | |
| And in death we will not part. | 20 |
| Part in death? No! never! never! | |
| Through death’s vale I’ll lean on thee; | |
| Then, in worlds above, for ever, | |
| Sweeter still thy truths shall be! | | | | |
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