The Bible has saved many people over the course of history due to the contents inside of it. However, in this case, the Bible quite literally saved the life of a soldier by shielding him from bullets!

The daughter of a World War I veteran has just come forward to reveal that her father’s life was saved when the Bible that he carried with him stopped bullets from a machine gun. Her father was so thankful to the Bible for saving him that he carried the bullet-ridden book with him for the rest of his life.

Private Leslie Friston was in a hospital bed recovering from a gas attack in 1917 when a German aircraft flew over the facility and opened fire. Two bullets came right for Friston, but they were stopped by the Bible he had resting on his bedside table.

“He said the Bible saved his life as it took the brunt of the attack,” said Ena Thompson, 87. “If the bullets had landed just a few inches further towards him, he would not have survived — and I wouldn’t be here today.”

Bullet-ridden Bible ‘saved First World War soldier’s life’ pic.twitter.com/IX2G73xXV8

— larissa hemment (@larissaach22) October 28, 2018

Friston carried the Bible with him everywhere he went until he died in 1958.

“He was incredibly lucky and I think he knew this as he kept the Bible with him for the rest of his life,” added Thompson, who has the Bible now. “It still has his name and his service number in it which he wrote. When I hold the Bible I just get a special feeling. It might sound a bit strange but it makes me feel comfortable and happy.”

“It’s a nice feeling that it saved his life. It makes me feel close to him,” she continued.

Thompson went public with this story as part of the Royal British Legion’s 2018 Poppy Appeal ahead of Armistice Day on Nov. 11.

“It’s hard to imagine what the world would be like if things had gone differently all those years ago,” she concluded.  “We owe it to that generation to remember their sacrifices.”