Parable of the Good Shepherd

1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is aa thief and a robber.

2 “But he who enters by the door is aa shepherd of the sheep.

3 “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear ahis voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and bleads them out.

4 “When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know ahis voice.

5 “A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know athe voice of strangers.”

6 This afigure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them.

7 So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am athe door of the sheep.

8 “All who came before Me are athieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.

9 “aI 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 that they amay have life, and 1have it abundantly.

11 “aI am the good shepherd; the good shepherd blays down His life for the sheep.

12 “He who is a hired hand, and not a ashepherd, 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 them.

13 “He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.

14 “aI am the good shepherd, and bI know My own and My own know Me,

15 even as athe Father knows Me and I know the Father; and bI lay down My life for the sheep.

16 “I have aother sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become bone flock with cone shepherd.

17 “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I alay down My life so that I may take it again.

18 “aNo one has taken it away from Me, but I blay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. cThis commandment I received from My Father.”

19 aA division occurred again among the Jews because of these words.

20 Many of them were saying, “He ahas a demon and bis insane. Why do you listen to Him?”

21 Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one ademon-possessed. bA demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?”

Jesus Asserts His Deity

22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem;

23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of aSolomon.

24 aThe Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long 1will You keep us in suspense? If You are 2the Christ, tell us bplainly.”

25 Jesus answered them, “aI told you, and you do not believe; bthe works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me.

26 “But you do not believe because ayou are not of My sheep.

27 “My sheep ahear My voice, and bI know them, and they follow Me;

28 and I give aeternal life to them, and they will never perish; and bno one will snatch them out of My hand.

29 “1My 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 “aI and the Father are 1one.”