Parable of the Good Shepherd

10 “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is ^(A)a thief and a robber. ² But the one who enters by the door is ^(B)a shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep listen to ^(C)his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and ^(D)leads them out. ⁴ When he puts all his own sheep outside, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know ^(E)his voice. ⁵ However, a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know ^(F)the voice of strangers.” ⁶ Jesus told them this ^(G)figure of speech, but they did not understand what the things which He was saying to them ^[a]meant.

⁷ So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly I say to you, I am ^(H)the door of the sheep. ⁸ All those who came before Me are ^(I)thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ^9 (J)I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they ^(K)would have life, and ^[b]have it abundantly.

¹¹ “^(L)I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd ^(M)lays down His life for the sheep. ¹² He who is a hired hand, and not a ^(N)shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters the flock. ¹³ He flees because he is a hired hand and does not care about the sheep. ^14 (O)I am the good shepherd, and ^(P)I know My own, and My own know Me, ¹⁵ just as ^(Q)the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and ^(R)I lay down My life for the sheep. ¹⁶ And I have ^(S)other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice; and they will become ^(T)one flock, with ^(U)one shepherd. ¹⁷ For this reason the Father loves Me, because I ^(V)lay down My life so that I may take it back. ^18 (W)No one has taken it away from Me, but I ^(X)lay it down on My own. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it back. ^(Y)This commandment I received from My Father.”

^19 (Z)Dissension occurred again among the Jews because of these words. ²⁰ Many of them were saying, “He ^(AA)has a demon and ^(AB)is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” ²¹ Others were saying, “These are not the words of one who is ^(AC)demon-possessed. ^(AD)A demon cannot open the eyes of those who are blind, can it?”

Jesus Asserts His Deity

²² At that time the ^[c]Feast of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem; ²³ it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple area, in the portico of ^(AE)Solomon. ^24 (AF)The Jews then surrounded Him and began saying to Him, “How long ^[d]will You keep us in suspense? If You are the ^[e]Christ, tell us ^(AG)plainly.” ²⁵ Jesus answered them, “^(AH)I told you, and you do not believe; ^(AI)the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. ²⁶ But you do not believe, because ^(AJ)you are not of My sheep. ²⁷ My sheep ^(AK)listen to My voice, and ^(AL)I know them, and they follow Me; ²⁸ and I give them ^(AM)eternal life, and they will never perish; and ^(AN)no one will snatch them out of My hand. ^29 [f]My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. ^30 (AO)I and the Father are ^[g]one.”

³¹ The Jews ^(AP)picked up stones again to stone Him. ³² Jesus replied to them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” ³³ The Jews answered Him, “We are not stoning You for a good work, but for ^(AQ)blasphemy; and because You, being a man, ^(AR)make Yourself out to be God.” ³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in ^(AS)your ^(AT)Law: ‘^(AU)I said, you are gods’? ³⁵ If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be nullified), ³⁶ are you saying of Him whom the Father ^(AV)sanctified and ^(AW)sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘^(AX)I am the Son of God’? ^37 (AY)If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; ³⁸ but if I do them, even though you do not believe Me, believe ^(AZ)the works, so that you may ^[h]know and understand that ^(BA)the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” ³⁹ Therefore ^(BB)they were seeking again to arrest Him, and ^(BC)He eluded their grasp.

⁴⁰ And He went away ^(BD)again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He stayed there. ⁴¹ Many came to Him and were saying, “While John performed no ^(BE)sign, yet ^(BF)everything John said about this man was true.” ⁴² And ^(BG)many believed in Him there.