John 10
1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who is not entering through the door to the fold of the sheep, but is going up from another side, that one is a thief and a robber;
“I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't come in through the gate of the sheepfold but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber.
2 and he who is entering through the door is shepherd of the sheep;
The one who comes in through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 the doorkeeper opens to this one, and the sheep hear his voice, and his own sheep he calls by name, and leads them forth;
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep respond to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out.
4 and when he may put forth his own sheep, he goes on before them, and the sheep follow him, because they have known his voice;
After bringing them out, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice.
5 and they will not follow a stranger, but will flee from him, because they have not known the voice of strangers.”
They won't follow strangers. In fact they run away from a stranger because they don't recognize the voice of strangers.”
6 Jesus spoke this allegory to them, and they did not know what the things were that He was speaking to them;
When Jesus gave this illustration those who were listening to him didn't understand what he meant.
7 Jesus therefore said again to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I AM the door of the sheep;
So Jesus explained again, “I tell you the truth: I am the gate of the sheepfold.
8 all, as many as came before Me, are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them;
All those who came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn't listen to them.
9 I AM the door, if anyone may come in through Me, he will be saved, and he will come in, and go out, and find pasture.
I am the gate. Anyone who comes in through me will be healed. They will be able to come and go, and find the food they need.
10 The thief does not come, except that he may steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they may have life, and may have [it] abundantly.
The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I've come to bring you life, life full to overflowing.
11 I AM the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays His life down for the sheep;
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
12 and the hired worker, and not being a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees; and the wolf snatches them, and scatters the sheep;
The man paid to look after the sheep is not the shepherd and he runs away when he sees the wolf coming. He abandons the sheep because they're not his, and the wolf attacks and scatters the flock
13 and the hired worker flees because he is a hired worker, and is not caring for the sheep.
for the man is only working for pay and doesn't care about the sheep.
14 I AM the good shepherd, and I know My [sheep], and am known by Mine,
I am the good shepherd. I know who are mine, and they know me,
15 according as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father, and My life I lay down for the sheep,
just as the Father knows me and I know him. I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 and other sheep I have that are not of this fold, these also it is necessary for Me to bring, and My voice they will hear, and there will become one flock—one shepherd.
I have other sheep that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them too. They will listen to my voice and there will be one flock with one shepherd.
17 Because of this the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life, that again I may take it;
This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so I may take it up again.
18 no one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself; authority I have to lay it down, and authority I have again to take it; this command I received from My Father.”
No one takes it from me; I choose to lay it down. I have the right to give it up, and I have the right to take it back. This is the command my Father gave me.”
19 Therefore, again, there came a division among the Jews, because of these words,
The Jews were again divided in their opinion about Jesus over these words.
20 and many of them said, “He has a demon, and is mad, why do you hear Him?”
Many of them said, “He's demon-possessed! He's mad! Why are you listening to him?”
21 Others said, “These sayings are not those of a demoniac; is a demon able to open blind men’s eyes?”
Others said, “These aren't the words of someone who's demon-possessed. Besides, a demon can't open eyes that are blind.”
22 And the Dedication in Jerusalem came, and it was winter,
It was winter, and the time of the Festival of Dedication in Jerusalem.
23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the porch of Solomon,
Jesus was walking in the Temple through Solomon's porch. The Jews surrounded him, asking,
24 the Jews, therefore, came around Him and said to Him, “Until when do You hold our soul in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us freely.”
“How long are you going to keep us hanging in suspense? If you are the Messiah then tell us plainly!”
25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in the Name of My Father, these testify concerning Me;
Jesus replied, “I already told you but you refuse to believe it. The miracles I do in my Father's name prove who I am.
26 but you do not believe, for you are not of My sheep,
You don't believe me because you are not my sheep.
27 according as I said to you: My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me,
My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
29 My Father, who has given to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch out of the hand of My Father;
My Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone else; no one can snatch them from him.
30 I and the Father are one.”
I and the Father are one.”
31 Therefore, again, the Jews took up stones that they may stone Him;
Once again the Jews picked up stones to stone him.
32 Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from My Father; because of which work of them do you stone Me?”
Jesus said to them, “You've seen many good deeds that I've done from the Father. Which one are you stoning me for?”
33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “We do not stone You for a good work, but for slander, and because You, being a man, make Yourself God.”
The Jews replied, “We're not stoning you for a good deed, but for blasphemy because you are just a man but you're claiming to be God.”
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not having been written in your law: I said, you are gods?
Jesus answered them, “Isn't it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’?
35 If He called them gods to whom the word of God came (and the Writing is not able to be broken),
He called those people ‘gods,’ the people to whom the word of God came—and Scripture can't be altered.
36 of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, do you say—You slander, because I said, I am [the] Son of God?
So why are you saying the one whom the Father set apart and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said ‘I am the Son of God’?
37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;
If I'm not doing what my Father does, then don't believe me.
38 and if I do, even if you may not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and may believe that the Father [is] in Me, and I in Him.”
But if that is what I'm doing, even though you don't believe me, you should believe because of the evidence of what I've done. That way you can know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.”
39 Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He went forth out of their hand,
Once again they tried to arrest him, but he escaped from them.
40 and went away again to the other side of the Jordan, to the place where John was at first immersing, and remained there,
He went back across the Jordan River to the place where John had begun baptizing, and he stayed there.
41 and many came to Him and said, “John, indeed, did no sign, and all things, as many as John said about this One were true”;
Many people came to him, and they said, “John didn't perform miracles, but everything he said about this man has come true.”
42 and many believed in Him there.
Many who were there put their trust in Jesus.
