PRIZE CROSSWORD No. 902 by Axe

Across

1 'The Lord's chosen ---- will carry out his purpose against the Babylonians' [Acts/NIV] (4) 3 Town mentioned in the Gospels as the home of Joseph and Mary (8) 9 Book and major OT prophet (7) 10 Ecclesiastical law (5) 11 'They will cut off your ----- and your ears...' [9/NIV] (5) 12 Jewish mother of Timothy (6) 14 Son of Joash who delivered the Israelites from the Midianites [Judg] (6) 16 'Then she wiped them with her hair, ------ them...' [Luke/NIV] (6) 18 Name God gave to Jacob and his descendants [Gen] (6) 19 Husband of Abigail [1 Sam] (5) 22 Place where the Israelites defeated Og's army [Num; Deut; Josh] (5) 23 'Then the elders of the town ------- the body shall take a heifer...' [Deut/NIV] (7) 24 'Therefore -------- will overtake him in an instant' [Prov/NIV] (8) 25 'O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and ----' [Jer/KJV] (4)

Down

1 One of Daniel's companions saved from the fur- nace (8) 2 Diocese formed in 2014, aka the 'Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales' (5) 4 'Now when David had served God's purpose... he fell ------; he was buried with his ancestors...' [Acts/NIV] (6) 5 Celebration observed on the 40th day after Easter (9,3) 6 'For there are ------- who were born that way, and there are ------- who have been made ------- by others...' [Matt/NIV] (7) 7 'Yea, the ---- also calved in that field, and forsook it, because there was no grass' [Jer/KJV] (4) 8 Those sent abroad to attempt to convert others to Christianity (12) 13 '...impurity and debauchery; -------- and witch- craft...' [Gal/NIV] (8) 15 'He pours contempt on nobles and ------- the mighty' [Job/NIV] (7) 17 'Cast but a ------ at riches, and they are gone...' [Prov/NIV] (6) 20 '---- all his skills, Lord...' [Deut/NIV] (5) 21 'You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not ---- it or make it grow' [Jonah/NIV] (4)