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. 2The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3It 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. 4When he has driven out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. 5They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” 6Jesus used this illustration with them, but they didn't understand what he was saying to them. 7So again Jesus said,“Truly, truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who came before meare thieves and bandits, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture. 10The 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. 12The 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. 13For he is a hired hand, and the sheep do not matter to him. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay downmy life for the sheep. 16I 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. 17This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it back again. 18No 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.” 19Once again there was a division among the Jews because of these words. 20Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why bother listening to him?” 21Others 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?” 22Now Hanukkah was taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and Jesus was walking around in the temple inside the open porch of Solomon. 24So 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.” 25Jesus 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, 26but you do not believe because you do not belong to my sheep. 27My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it from the Father's hand. 30I and the Father are one.” 31Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him to death. 32Jesus replied to them,“I have shown you many good works from myFather. For which of them are you going to stone me?” 33The 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!” 34Jesus replied to them,“Is it not written in yourlaw, ‘I said, “You are gods”’? 35If he called those to whom the word of God came ‘gods’ (and the Scripture cannot be set aside), 36how 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’? 37If I am not doing my Father's works, do not believe me. 38But 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.” 39Again they tried to seize him, but he slipped away out of their hands. 40Then he went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and he remained there. 41Many people came to him and kept saying, “John never performed a sign, but all the things that John said about this man were true!” 42And many believed in him there.