1“I tell you the truth, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.
2But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
5They will never follow a stranger; instead, they will run away from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”
6Jesus told them this parable, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
7So Jesus said to them again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.
8All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
9I am the gate. If anyone enters through me, they will be saved. They will be able to go in and out and find pasture.
10The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came so that they may have life, and have itÔøΩÔøΩ to the full.
11I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.
12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and runs away. Then the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them.
13The hired hand runs away because he is a hired hand and does not care about the sheep.
14I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and my sheep know me.
15This is like how the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I give my life for the sheep.
16I have other sheep that are not from this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.
17The Father loves me because I give my life, so that I can take it back again.
18No one takes my life from me; I give it up willingly. I have the power to give it up and the power to take it back. My Father gave me this command.”
19Because of these words, the Jews were divided again.
20Many of them said, “He has a demon and is crazy! Why do you listen to him?”
21Others said, “These are not the words of someone controlled by a demon. A demon can’t open the eyes of the blind, can it?”
22It was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem.
23It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in Solomon’s Colonnade.
24So the Jews gathered around him and asked, “How long will you keep us guessing? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
25Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you don’t believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name testify about me.
26But you don’t believe because you are not my sheep, as I told you.
27My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me.
28I give them eternal life, and they will never die. No one can snatch them out of my hand.
29My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than everyone. No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
30I and the Father are one.”
31Then the Jews picked up stones again to throw at him.
32Jesus asked them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these good works are you stoning me?”
33The Jews answered him, “We are not stoning you for any good work, but for insulting God. You, a mere man, claim to be God.”
34Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’?
35If God called those people gods—to whom his word came—and Scripture cannot be disproven,
36then why do you say that I am speaking against God because I said, ‘I am the Son of God,’ when the Father set me apart and sent me into the world?
37If I am not doing the works of my Father, then don’t believe me.
38But if I am doing them, even if you don’t believe me, you should at least believe the works themselves, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
39They tried again to arrest him, but he slipped out of their grasp.
40Jesus went back across the Jordan River to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and he stayed there.
41Many people came to him. They said, “John didn’t perform any miracles, but everything John said about this man is true.”
42And in that place, many believed in Jesus.