John 10
New American Standard Bible
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.
Footnotes
- John 10:6 Lit were
- John 10:10 Or have abundance
- John 10:22 Now known as Hanukkah, also the Feast of Lights
- John 10:24 Lit do You lift up our soul
- John 10:24 I.e., Messiah
- John 10:29 One early ms What My Father has given Me is greater than all
- John 10:30 Or a unity; or one essence
- John 10:38 Lit know and continue knowing
John 10
Living Bible
10 “Anyone refusing to walk through the gate into a sheepfold, who sneaks over the wall, must surely be a thief! 2 For a shepherd comes through the gate. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice and come to him; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 He walks ahead of them; and they follow him, for they recognize his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger but will run from him, for they don’t recognize his voice.”
6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, 7 so he explained it to them.
“I am the Gate for the sheep,” he said. 8 “All others who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9 Yes, I am the Gate. Those who come in by way of the Gate will be saved and will go in and out and find green pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.
11 “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 A hired man will run when he sees a wolf coming and will leave the sheep, for they aren’t his and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf leaps on them and scatters the flock. 13 The hired man runs because he is hired and has no real concern for the sheep.
14 “I am the Good Shepherd and know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, too, in another fold. I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice; and there will be one flock with one Shepherd.
17 “The Father loves me because I lay down my life that I may have it back again. 18 No one can kill me without my consent—I lay down my life voluntarily. For I have the right and power to lay it down when I want to and also the right and power to take it again. For the Father has given me this right.”
19 When he said these things, the Jewish leaders were again divided in their opinions about him. 20 Some of them said, “He has a demon or else is crazy. Why listen to a man like that?”
21 Others said, “This doesn’t sound to us like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of blind men?”
22-23 It was winter,[a] and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of the Dedication Celebration. He was at the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Hall. 24 The Jewish leaders surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
25 “I have already told you,[b] and you don’t believe me,” Jesus replied. “The proof is in the miracles I do in the name of my Father. 26 But you don’t believe me because you are not part of my flock. 27 My sheep recognize my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one shall snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else, so no one can kidnap them from me. 30 I and the Father are one.”
31 Then again the Jewish leaders picked up stones to kill him.
32 Jesus said, “At God’s direction I have done many a miracle to help the people. For which one are you killing me?”
33 They replied, “Not for any good work, but for blasphemy; you, a mere man, have declared yourself to be God.”
34-36 “In your own Law it says that men are gods!” he replied. “So if the Scripture, which cannot be untrue, speaks of those as gods to whom the message of God came, do you call it blasphemy when the one sanctified and sent into the world by the Father says, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 Don’t believe me unless I do miracles of God. 38 But if I do, believe them even if you don’t believe me. Then you will become convinced that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
39 Once again they started to arrest him. But he walked away and left them, 40 and went beyond the Jordan River to stay near the place where John was first baptizing. 41 And many followed him.
“John didn’t do miracles,” they remarked to one another, “but all his predictions concerning this man have come true.” 42 And many came to the decision that he was the Messiah.[c]
Footnotes
- John 10:22 December 25 was the usual date for this celebration of the cleansing of the Temple.
- John 10:25 I have already told you, see 5:19; 8:36, 56, 58, etc.
- John 10:42 many came to the decision that he was the Messiah, literally, “many believed on him there.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.