Open English Translation YHN (JHN) Chapter 10

10 “Honestly I can tell you: It’s not the person that enters the sheep enclosure by the gate that is a thief and robber, but rather the one who climbs in a different way. 2 The one that comes in the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens up for him, and when he calls the sheep by name they listen to his voice and he leads them out. 4 Whenever he moves the sheep, he goes in front and the sheep follow him because they recognise his voice. 5 They would never follow a stranger because they wouldn’t know his voice, in fact they’d run away from him.”

6 Yeshua told them this illustration, but none of those who heard it knew what it meant.

7 So Yeshua continued, “Honestly I will tell you that I am the entrance for the sheep. 8 The ones who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9 I am the entrance. Anyone who comes in via me will be saved, and will be able to go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief only comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I came so that they could live, and live a full life.

11 “I am the good shepherd—the good shepherd gives his own life for the sheep.[fn] 12 The paid worker is not even the shepherd, because the sheep aren’t his own and if he sees a wolf coming he just abandons the sheep and takes off and the wolf scatters the sheep and snatches some— 13 that’s because he’s just a worker and doesn’t really care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd and I know my sheep and they know me, 15 [ref]just like the father knows me and I know the father—in fact I will give my life for the sheep. 16 I also have other sheep which are not in this field and it’s appropriate for me to bring those other sheep also, then they’ll be hearing my voice because there’ll be just one flock with one shepherd.

17 The father loves me because I am laying down my life so that I can take it back again. 18 No one is taking it from me, but I’m laying it down myself. I have authority to lay it down, and also authority to take it back again because I received this command from my father.”

19 The Jewish religious leaders were again divided about Yeshua’s teaching 20 with many of them saying, “He’s got a demon,” and, “He’s stark raving mad—why are you all even listening to him!”

21 But others were saying, “He doesn’t sound like he’s demon-possessed. And how could a demon make a blind man see?”

22 By then it was winter and the time for the Jewish Feast of Dedication in Yerusalem. 23 Yeshua was walking in the temple in an area known as Solomon’s Porch 24 when he was surrounded by the Jewish religious leaders and interrogated, “How long do you plan to keep us in suspense for? If you are the messiah, just tell us clearly.”

25 “I already told you all,” Yeshua answered, “but you didn’t believe me. The miracles that I do with the authority of my father testify about me, 26 but you don’t accept what the miracles point to because you aren’t part of my flock. 27 My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them and they follow after me. 28 I give them life which will never end so they won’t ever be destroyed, and no one will be able to snatch them away from me. 29 My father is the one who gave them to me, and he’s more powerful than any other, so no one can snatch them away from him. 30 The father and I are one.”

31 Again the Jewish leaders picked up rocks to throw at him to kill him 32 but Yeshua asked them, “I showed you all many miracles from my father. Which miracle do you want to kill me for?”

33 [ref]They answered, “It’s not for any good deed that we think you deserve to die, but because you, a human, dishonour God by claiming to be him.”

34 [ref]Yeshua answered, “Isn’t it written in your scriptures that God said, ‘You all are gods’? 35 Now the scriptures can’t be wrong, and if the ones who heard teaching from God were called gods, 36 why are you telling the one that the father blessed and sent out into the world that I am insulting God because I said that I’m God’s son? 37 If I’m not doing my father’s work, then you don’t need to believe that he sent me, 38 but if I am doing his work, even if you don’t believe that he sent me, at least believe in what I do so that you all can know that the father is in me and I’m in the father.”

39 That was enough that they tried yet again to arrest him, but he was able to get out and away from their influence.

40 [ref]Then Yeshua crossed the Yordan river to the place where Yohan had immersed the people, and he stayed there. 41 Many people visited him there, and they were saying that even though Yohan had never done even one miracle, on the other hand everything that he had said about Yeshua was true, 42 and many people there believed that Yeshua was from God.