John 10

1Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever does not enter through the door into the sheepfold but climbs up from elsewhere is a thief and a robber.

2But the one who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3The doorkeeper opens to him, and the sheep hear his voice; he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

4Whenever he brings all his own sheep out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.

5They will never follow a stranger but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.

6Jesus spoke this proverb to them, but they did not understand what it was he was saying to them.

7Jesus therefore said to them again, "Amen, amen, I tell you, I am the door of the sheep."

8All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

9I am the door. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out, and will find pasture.

10The thief does not come except to steal, kill, and destroy. I came so they might have life, and have it to the full.

11I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

12The hired servant, who is not a shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees, while the wolf snatches them and scatters them.

13Because he is a hired servant and cares nothing for the sheep.

14I am the good shepherd, and I know my own, and my own know me.

15As the Father knows me and I know the Father, I lay down my life for the sheep.

16And I have other sheep that are not from this fold; those I must also bring, and they will hear my voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd.

17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it again.

18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down myself. I have authority to lay it down, and authority to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father.

19A division arose again among the Jews because of these words.

20Many among them said, "He has a demon and is raving mad. Why do you listen to him?"

21Others said, "These words are not from someone possessed by a demon. Can a demon open blind people's eyes?"

22Then the Dedication took place in Jerusalem, and it was winter.

23And Jesus was walking about in the temple, in Solomon's porch.

24The Jews therefore surrounded him and said to him, "How long will you keep our soul in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us openly."

25Jesus answered them, "I said to you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me."

26But you do not believe because you are not my sheep.

27My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

28And I give them eternal life, and they will never perish forever, nor will anyone snatch them from my hand.

29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of the Father's hand.

30The Father and I are one.

31So the Jews picked up stones again to stone him.

32Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of those works do you stone me?"

33The Jews answered him, "We are not stoning you for a good work, but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God."

34Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law that I said, 'You are gods'?"

35If he called them gods to whom God's word came—and Scripture cannot be broken—

36Are you saying of the one the Father consecrated and sent into the world, "You blaspheme," because I said, "I am the Son of God"?

37If I am not doing my Father's works, do not believe me.

38But if I do them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and recognize that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.

39Therefore they tried again to seize him, but he escaped from their hand.

40He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and stayed there.

41Many came to him and said, "John indeed did no sign, but everything that John said about this one was true."

42And many trusted in him there.