John
Chapter 10
1 Truly, truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a robber.
2 The one who comes in through the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 When he leads his sheep out, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice.
5 They will not follow a stranger but will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.
6 Jesus told them this story, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 Jesus told them again, “Truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.”
8 Everyone who came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
9 I am the door. If anyone enters through me, they will be saved. They will come in and go out and find food.
10 The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come so that they can have life, and have it fully.
11 I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.
12 But the person who works only for pay and is not the shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters the sheep.
13 The worker runs away because he is just a worker and does not care about the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.
15 Just as the Father knows me, I also know the Father; and I give up my life for the sheep.
16 I have other sheep that are not from this pen. I must bring them too, and they will listen to my voice; then there will be one flock and one shepherd.
17 So my Father loves me because I give up my life and then take it back.
18 No one takes it from me; I give it up by my choice. I have the power to give it up, and I have the power to take it back. This order I got from my Father.
19 So the Jews were divided again because of these words.
20 Many people said, “He is possessed by a demon and is crazy; why do you listen to him?”
21 Others said, “These aren’t the words of someone with an evil spirit. Can an evil spirit make blind people see?”
22 It was winter during the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem.
23 Jesus walked in the temple on Solomon’s porch.
24 The Jews gathered around him and asked, “How long will you keep us guessing? If you are the Christ, tell us clearly.”
25 Jesus replied, “I told you, but you did not believe. The things I do, done in my Father’s name, show who I am.”
26 But you don’t believe because you are not my sheep, as I told you.
27 My sheep listen to me, I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give them forever life; they will never die, and no one can take them from my hand.
29 My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than everyone; and no one can take them from my Father’s hand.
30 My Father and I are the same.
31 The Jews picked up stones once more to throw at him.
32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good things from God; for which of those good things do you want to punish me with stones?”
33 The Jews replied, “We’re not going to stone you for doing good things; we’re doing it for disrespecting God, because you, a man, claim to be God.”
34 Jesus replied, “Isn’t it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’?”
35 If he named them gods, to whom God’s message came, and the scripture cannot be changed;
36 Are you saying that the one whom God has made holy and sent into the world is speaking blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?
37 If I don’t do what my Father does, don’t believe me.
38 But if I do them, even if you don’t believe me, believe the things I do. Then you will understand and believe that God is in me, and I am in God.
39 So they tried again to seize him, but he got away from them.
40 He went back to the area beyond the Jordan River, where John first baptized people, and stayed there.
41 Many people came to him and said, “John didn’t perform any miracles, but everything John said about this man was true.”
42 Many people there believed in him.