"Come now, let us settle the matter," says the Lord.
Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
Though you have made me see troubles,
many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up.
But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins."
Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
Bacchanal, 1896
Raffaello Sorbi (Italian, 1844-1931)
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions,
and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
while we wait for the blessed hope—
the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ
Jan Matejko (1838-1893)
Adoption of Christianity, 965 AD, from the series “History of Civilization in Poland”, painted 1889.
On your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have set watchmen;
all the day and all the night they shall never be silent.
You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest,
and give him no rest until he establishes
Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.
For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.
As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them,
so will I look after my sheep.
I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.
"He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their hearts,
so they can neither see with their eyes,
nor understand with their hearts,
nor turn—and I would heal them."
Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him. 
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord —
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
'The days are coming,' declares the Lord,
'when I will fulfill the good
promise I made to the people of
Israel and Judah.
'In those days and at that time
I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line;
he will do what is just and right in the land.
In those days Judah will be saved
and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it will be called:
The Lord Our Righteous Savior.'
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.
The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.
After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife.
Elijah rebuking Ahab, watercolour
Mary L. Gow (25 December 1851 – 27 May 1929)
"Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back."
Illustration 'Elijah Contends Against the Priests of Baal' by Jerry Harston, 1976
Elijah challenges Israel to choose God.
"How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." And the people did not answer him a word.
The Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and the life of the child returned to him and he revived. Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house and gave him to his mother; and Elijah said, "See, your son is alive." Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth."
"Elijah Raising the Widow’s Son"
Benjamin West, 1774
Elijah assures the widow of God's provision.
"For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.'"
Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised.
Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.
"But will God really dwell on earth?
The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you.
How much less this temple I have built!"
"And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.
Luca Giordano (1634-1705)
The Dream of King Solomon, 1694-1695
"Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over Israel, and blow the trumpet and say, 'Long live King Solomon!'"
William Osborne Hamilton
David declaring his will that Solomon should succeed him to Zadok, Nathan and Bonaiah
Oil on canvas
My Lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the Lord your God: 'Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.' But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my Lord the king, do not know about it.
Arent de Gelder (1645-1727)
Bathsheba makes an appeal to David, 1685-1690
Oil on canvas
86 cm (33.8 in) x 100 cm (39.3 in)
King David repents.
Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, "Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father's house."
This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.