The personal Bible that was on Elvis Presley’s bedside table the night he died was sold at auction over Memorial Day weekend for enough money in some parts of the United States to buy a house. The world edition Bible, marked by Elvis to highlight his favorite verses, sold for $125,000 after 23 bids. The starting price was $30,000.
Among the verses that Elvis personally emphasized were Job 31:24-26“If I had made gold my desire, and said to the pure gold, ‘Thou art my trust,’ then would I have rejoiced, for my wealth was great, and my hands had prospered. If I had seen the sun shining, and the moon walking in its glory.”
It arrived with a letter from his cousin, Patsy Presley.
“Shortly after Elvis passed away, my Uncle Vernon (Elvis’s father) and I went into Elvis’ bedroom at Graceland to organize and pack up many of his personal belongings,” she wrote. “This Bible was one of three that Elvis kept on his nightstand. After they were packed, my Uncle Vernon let me take it home for safekeeping and eventually gave it to me.
The cover has his full name “Elvis Aaron Presley” embossed in gold, and the inside contents include “a large number of bookmarked pages and underlined passages that supposedly spoke to Elvis.” GWS AuctionThe sales person was .
GWS Auctions said the Bible “was placed on the nightstand in his bedroom at Graceland on the night he died.”
GWS Auctions posted a photo on its website of the page with Elvis’ underlining.
He emphasized Genesis 1:31: “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning: the sixth day.”
He also Isaiah 29:19“The meek shall rejoice in the Lord; the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.”
Elvis died in 1977 at the age of 42.
“Not many people realize that after every show he would relax by singing gospel songs until the sun came up,” his brother-in-law, Billy Stanley, told Fox News Digital. “He connected with God. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, he was doing this and that.’ [But] “We all have flaws. We’re all human.”
“As Christians, most of us live under a magnifying glass.“ He added. “Elvis was a big star, so he was under a lot of scrutiny. It was hard. But I always say… [he] He had the devil on one shoulder and God on the other, and there was a constant battle going on in his head.”
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Keystone / Stringer
Related article: Elvis Presley’s personal Bible goes up for auction with starting price of $30,000
Michael Faust He has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years, and his work has appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, Christian Post, Leaf Chronicle, Toronto Star and Knoxville News Sentinel.
