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. But the one who enters by the door is (B)a shepherd of the sheep. 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. When he puts all his own sheep outside, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know (E)his voice. However, a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know (F)the voice of strangers.” Jesus told them this (G)figure of speech, but they did not understand what the things which He was saying to them [a]meant.

So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly I say to you, I am (H)the door of the sheep. All those who came before Me are (I)thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. (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

  1. John 10:6 Lit were
  2. John 10:10 Or have abundance
  3. John 10:22 Now known as Hanukkah, also the Feast of Lights
  4. John 10:24 Lit do You lift up our soul
  5. John 10:24 I.e., Messiah
  6. John 10:29 One early ms What My Father has given Me is greater than all
  7. John 10:30 Or a unity; or one essence
  8. John 10:38 Lit know and continue knowing

10 Omein, omein, I say to you, the one not entering through the derech hasha’ar (way of the entrance) into the mikhla haTzon (fold [enclosure] of the sheep) but going up another derech, that one is a ganav and a shoded (robber) [Rev 13:4].

But the one entering through the derech hasha’ar is Ro’eh haTzon (Shepherd of the flock [of sheep]).

To this one the doorkeeper opens, and the tzon hears the Ro’eh’s voice and the Ro’eh calls b’shem (by name) each of his own tzon and leads them out. [TEHILLIM 95:7]

When the Ro’eh has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the tzon follow the Ro’eh, because they have da’as of the Ro’eh’s voice.

But a zar (stranger, foreigner) they will never follow, but will flee from him, because they do not have da’as of the voice of zarim (strangers, foreigners).

This figure of speech Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach told them. But those ones did not have binah (understanding) of what he was saying to them.

Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, therefore, again, Omein, omein, I say to you, Ani Hu the derech hasha’ar (way of the entrance) of the tzon.

All who came before me are ganavim (thieves) and shodedim (robbers), but the tzon did not listen to them. [YIRMEYAH 23:1,2; YECHEZKEL 34:2-3]

I am the derech hasha’ar. Through me, if anyone enters, he will come to yeshu’at Eloheinu and will go in and will go out and will find mir’eh (pasture) [BAMIDBAR 27:17; TEHILLIM 118:20; 23:2]

10 The ganav does not come except in order that he may steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have Chayyim (Life) and that they may have it more abundantly. [TEHILLIM 65:11]

11 I am the Ro’eh HaTov (the Good Shepherd). The Ro’eh HaTov lays down his neshamah for the tzon. [TEHILLIM 23:1; YESHAYAH 40:11; YECHEZKEL 34:11-16,23; YESHAYAH 53:7,8,10]

12 The hireling, the one who is not the Ro’eh‖the hireling, the one to whom the tzon does not belong‖this hireling sees the ze’ev (wolf) coming and abandons the tzon and runs for his life and the ze’ev seizes them and scatters them. [ZECHARYAH 11:16]

13 This happens because he is a hireling and the tzon means nothing to him.

14 Ani Hu the Ro’eh HaTov, and I have da’as of my tzon and my tzon has da’as of me. [SHEMOT 33:12]

15 Just as HaAv has da’as of me and I have da’as of HaAv, so I lay down my neshamah for the tzon.

16 And another tzon I have which is not of this mikhla (fold [enclosure]); those also it is necessary for me to bring, and my voice they will hear, and they will become eder echad with Ro’eh echad (One flock with one Shepherd). [YESHAYAH 56:8; YECHEZKEL 34:23; 37:24]

17 Therefore, HaAv has ahavah for me, because I lay down my neshamah that I may take it up again.

18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have samchut (authority) to lay it down, and I have samchut to receive it again. This mitzvah I received from HaAv of me. [YESHAYAH 52:13-53:12]

19 There was a machloket (division of dissension) again among those of Yehudah, because of these dvarim of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach.

20 And many of them were saying, He has a shed (demon), and He is meshugga‖why do you listen to him? [MELACHIM BAIS 9:11; YIRMEYAH 29:26]

21 Others said, These dvarim are not of one being possessed of shedim. Surely a shed (demon) is not able to open the eyes of an ivver (blind man)? [SHEMOT 4:11]

22 Then the Chag (Festival) of Channukah took place in Yerushalayim. It was winter.

23 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was walking around in the Beis Hamikdash in the area called Ulam Shlomo (Solomon’s Colonnade).

24 Then those of Yehudah encircled Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach and were saying to him, How much longer are you going to hold our neshamot in suspense? If you are the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, tell us openly.

25 In reply, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, I did tell you and you do not have emunah. The pe’ulot which I do b’Shem Avi, these pe’ulot give solemn edut (testimony, see Yn 8:18) about me.

26 But you do not have emunah (faith), because you do not belong to my Tzon.

27 My Tzon hear my voice, and I have da’as of them, and they follow me.

28 And I give to them Chayyei Olam, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. [YESHAYAH 66:22]

29 That which HaAv of me has given me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch out of the hand of HaAv.

30 I and HaAv are echad. [DEVARIM 6:4; TEHILLIM 33:6; BERESHIS 2:24]

31 Again those of Yehudah took up stones that they might stone him.

32 In reply, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to them, Many ma’asim tovim I showed you from HaAv. Because of which ma’aseh do you stone me?

33 In reply, those of Yehudah said to him, For a ma’aseh tov we do not stone you, but for Chillul Hashem and because you, being a man, make yourself G-d. [VAYIKRA 24:16]

34 In reply, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach answered them, Has it not been written in your Torah, ANI AMARTI ELOHIM ATEM (I said you are g-ds.) [TEHILLIM 82:6] [SHEMOT 7:1; 22:27 TARGUM HASHIVIM]

35 If those ones he called g-ds, to whom the Dvar Hashem came and lo tufar Kitvei Hakodesh (and the Kitvei Hakodesh cannot be broken, TEHILLIM 119:89,142)

36 Can you say of the One whom HaAv set apart as HaKadosh and sent into the Olam Hazeh that he commits Chillul Hashem because I said, Ben HaElohim Ani Hu? [YIRMEYAH 1:5]

37 If I do not accomplish the pe’ulot of Avi, do not regard me with bitachon.

38 But if I do, even if you do not have emunah in me, chotsh have emunah in the pe’ulot, so that you may continue to have da’as and binah that HaAv is in me and I am in HaAv.

39 They were seeking, therefore, again to seize him, and he eluded their hand.

40 And he went away again beyond the Yarden to the place where Yochanan was in the beginning giving the mikveh mayim’s tevilah of teshuvah, and he remained there.

41 And many came to him and were saying, Yochanan indeed did no ot (miraculous sign), but everything Yochanan said about this man was HaEmes.

42 And many put their emunah (faith) in him [as Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach] there.