1 "Truly, truly I tell you, the person who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a bandit.

2 The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 It is to him the gatekeeper opens the gate, and it is his voice the sheep hear. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

4 When he has driven out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice.

5 They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him because they do not recognize the voice of strangers."

6 Jesus used this illustration with them, but they didn't understand what he was saying to them.

7 So again Jesus said,"Truly, truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.

8 All who came before meare thieves and bandits, but the sheep did not listen to them.

9 I am the gate. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.

10 The thief comes only to steal, slaughter, and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays downhis life for the sheep.

12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, deserts the sheep, and runs away. So the wolf snatches them and scatters them.

13 For he is a hired hand, and the sheep do not matter to him.

14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay downmy life for the sheep.

16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must lead these also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock and one shepherd.

17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it back again.

18 No one is taking it from me; I lay it down of my own free will. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it back again. This is a command that I have received from my Father."

19 Once again there was a division among the Jews because of these words.

20 Many of them were saying, "He has a demon and is insane. Why bother listening to him?"

21 Others were saying, "These are not the words of a man who is demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can it?"

22 Now Hanukkah was taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter,

23 and Jesus was walking around in the temple inside the open porch of Solomon.

24 So the Jews surrounded him and said to him, "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us so plainly."

25 Jesus answered them,"I have told you, but you do not believe it. The works that I do in my Father's name testify on my behalf,

26 but you do not believe because you do not belong to my sheep.

27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.

28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

29 What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it from the Father's hand.

30 I and the Father are one."

31 Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him to death.

32 Jesus replied to them,"I have shown you many good works from myFather. For which of them are you going to stone me?"

33 The Jews answered him, "We are not going to stone you for a good work but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, are making yourself God!"

34 Jesus replied to them,"Is it not written in yourlaw, ‘I said, "You are gods"’?

35 If he called those to whom the word of God came ‘gods’ (and the Scripture cannot be set aside),

36 how can you say to the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

37 If I am not doing my Father's works, do not believe me.

38 But if I am doing them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understandthat the Father is in me and I am in the Father."

39 Again they tried to seize him, but he slipped away out of their hands.

40 Then he went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and he remained there.

41 Many people came to him and kept saying, "John never performed a sign, but all the things that John said about this man were true!"

42 And many believed in him there.