Jesus the True Shepherd

10 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. ² But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by ^(A)name and leads them out. ⁴ And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ⁵ Yet they will by no means follow a ^(B)stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

Jesus the Good Shepherd

⁷ Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who ever came ^[a]before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. ^9 (C)I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

^11 (D)“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. ¹² But a ^[b]hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and ^(E)leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. ¹³ The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; and ^(F)I know My sheep, and ^(G)am known by My own. ^15 (H)As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; ^(I)and I lay down My life for the sheep. ¹⁶ And ^(J)other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; ^(K)and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

¹⁷ “Therefore My Father ^(L)loves Me, ^(M)because I lay down My life that I may take it again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I ^(N)have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. ^(O)This command I have received from My Father.”

¹⁹ Therefore ^(P)there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. ²⁰ And many of them said, ^(Q)“He has a demon and is ^[c]mad. Why do you listen to Him?”

²¹ Others said, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. ^(R)Can a demon ^(S)open the eyes of the blind?”

The Shepherd Knows His Sheep

²² Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. ²³ And Jesus walked in the temple, ^(T)in Solomon’s porch. ²⁴ Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in ^[d]doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

²⁵ Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. ^(U)The works that I do in My Father’s name, they ^(V)bear witness of Me. ²⁶ But ^(W)you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, ^[e]as I said to you. ^27 (X)My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. ^29 (Y)My Father, ^(Z)who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. ^30 (AA)I and My Father are one.”

Renewed Efforts to Stone Jesus

³¹ Then ^(AB)the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. ³² Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”

³³ The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for ^(AC)blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, ^(AD)make Yourself God.”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ^(AE)‘I said, “You are gods” ’? ³⁵ If He called them gods, ^(AF)to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture ^(AG)cannot be broken), ³⁶ do you say of Him ^(AH)whom the Father sanctified and ^(AI)sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ ^(AJ)because I said, ‘I am ^(AK)the Son of God’? ^37 (AL)If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; ³⁸ but if I do, though you do not believe Me, ^(AM)believe the works, that you may know and ^[f]believe ^(AN)that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” ^39 (AO)Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

The Believers Beyond Jordan

⁴⁰ And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place ^(AP)where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. ⁴¹ Then many came to Him and said, “John performed no sign, ^(AQ)but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true.” ⁴² And many believed in Him there.

Wise Sayings of Solomon

10 The proverbs of ^(A)Solomon:

Israel Needs the Gospel

10 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for ^[a]Israel is that they may be saved. ² For I bear them witness ^(A)that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. ³ For they being ignorant of ^(B)God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own ^(C)righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. ⁴ For ^(D)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

⁵ For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, ^(E)“The man who does those things shall live by them.” ⁶ But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ^(F)“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) ⁷ or, ^(G)“ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸ But what does it say? ^(H)“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): ⁹ that ^(I)if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, ^(J)“Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” ¹² For ^(K)there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for ^(L)the same Lord over all ^(M)is rich to all who call upon Him. ¹³ For ^(N)“whoever calls ^(O)on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Israel Rejects the Gospel

¹⁴ How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear ^(P)without a preacher? ¹⁵ And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

¹⁶ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ^(R)“Lord, who has believed our report?” ¹⁷ So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

¹⁸ But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:

¹⁹ But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says:

²⁰ But Isaiah is very bold and says:

²¹ But to Israel he says:

Pray for All Men

2 Therefore I ^[a]exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ^2 (A)for kings and ^(B)all who are in ^[b]authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and ^[c]reverence. ³ For this is ^(C)good and acceptable in the sight ^(D)of God our Savior, ^4 (E)who desires all men to be saved ^(F)and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ^5 (G)For there is one God and ^(H)one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, ^6 (I)who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, ^7 (J)for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth ^[d]in Christ and not lying—^(K)a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Men and Women in the Church

⁸ I desire therefore that the men pray ^(L)everywhere, ^(M)lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; ⁹ in like manner also, that the ^(N)women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and ^[e]moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, ^10 (O)but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. ¹¹ Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. ¹² And ^(P)I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. ¹³ For Adam was formed first, then Eve. ¹⁴ And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. ¹⁵ Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

Nations Descended from Noah^(A)

10 Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. ^(B)And sons were born to them after the flood.

^2 (C)The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. ³ The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, ^[a]Riphath, and Togarmah. ⁴ The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and ^[b]Dodanim. ⁵ From these ^(D)the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.

^6 (E)The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, ^[c]Put, and Canaan. ⁷ The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.

⁸ Cush begot ^(F)Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. ⁹ He was a mighty ^(G)hunter ^(H)before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.” ^10 (I)And the beginning of his kingdom was ^(J)Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. ¹¹ From that land he went ^(K)to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, ¹² and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city).

¹³ Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, ¹⁴ Pathrusim, and Casluhim ^(L)(from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim).

¹⁵ Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and ^(M)Heth; ^16 (N)the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; ¹⁷ the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; ¹⁸ the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed. ^19 (O)And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. ²⁰ These were the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations.

²¹ And children were born also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, ^[d]the brother of Japheth the elder. ²² The ^(P)sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, ^(Q)Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. ²³ The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and ^[e]Mash. ^24 [f]Arphaxad begot ^(R)Salah, and Salah begot Eber. ^25 (S)To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was ^[g]Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. ²⁶ Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, ²⁷ Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, ^28 [h]Obal, Abimael, Sheba, ²⁹ Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. ³⁰ And their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east. ³¹ These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations.

^32 (T)These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; ^(U)and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood.

The Eighth Plague: Locusts^(A)

10 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; ^(B)for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, ^(C)that I may show these signs of Mine before him, ² and that ^(D)you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may ^(E)know that I am the Lord.”

³ So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to ^(F)humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may ^(G)serve Me. ⁴ Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring ^(H)locusts into your territory. ⁵ And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and ^(I)they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. ⁶ They shall ^(J)fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians—which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’ ” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

⁷ Then Pharaoh’s ^(K)servants said to him, “How long shall this man be ^(L)a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”

⁸ So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. Who are the ones that are going?”

⁹ And Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for ^(M)we must hold a feast to the Lord.”

¹⁰ Then he said to them, “The Lord had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you. ¹¹ Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the Lord, for that is what you desired.” And they were driven ^(N)out from Pharaoh’s presence.

¹² Then the Lord said to Moses, ^(O)“Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and ^(P)eat every herb of the land—all that the hail has left.” ¹³ So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. ¹⁴ And ^(Q)the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; ^(R)previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. ¹⁵ For they ^(S)covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ^(T)ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.

¹⁶ Then Pharaoh called ^(U)for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, ^(V)“I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. ¹⁷ Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and ^(W)entreat^[a] the Lord your God, that He may take away from me this death only.” ¹⁸ So he ^(X)went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. ¹⁹ And the Lord turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them ^(Y)into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt. ²⁰ But the Lord ^(Z)hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.

The Ninth Plague: Darkness

²¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, ^(AA)“Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, ^[b]darkness which may even be felt.” ²² So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was ^(AB)thick darkness in all the land of Egypt ^(AC)three days. ²³ They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. ^(AD)But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

²⁴ Then Pharaoh called to Moses and ^(AE)said, “Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your ^(AF)little ones also go with you.”

²⁵ But Moses said, “You must also give ^[c]us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. ²⁶ Our ^(AG)livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the Lord our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.”

²⁷ But the Lord ^(AH)hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. ²⁸ Then Pharaoh said to him, ^(AI)“Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!”

²⁹ So Moses said, “You have spoken well. ^(AJ)I will never see your face again.”

A Song of Confidence in God’s Triumph over Evil