The Parable of the Sheepfold

101 Truly I say to you, He who does not go through the door into the place where the sheep are kept, but gets in by some other way, is a thief and an outlaw. 2 He who goes in by the door is the keeper of the sheep. 3 The porter lets him in; and the sheep give ear to his voice; he says over the names of the sheep, and takes them out. 4 When he has got them all out, he goes before them, and the sheep go after him, for they have knowledge of his voice. 5 They will not go after another who is not their keeper, but will go from him in flight, because his voice is strange to them. 6 In this Jesus was teaching them in the form of a story: but what he said was not clear to them.

Jesus the Good Shepherd

7 So Jesus said again, Truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and outlaws: but the sheep did not give ear to them. 9 I am the door: if any man goes in through me he will have salvation, and will go in and go out, and will get food. 10 The thief comes only to take the sheep and to put them to death: he comes for their destruction: I have come so that they may have life and have it in greater measure. 11 I am the good keeper of sheep: the good keeper gives his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a servant, and not the keeper or the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming and goes in flight, away from the sheep; and the wolf comes down on them and sends them in all directions: 13 Because he is a servant he has no interest in the sheep. 14 I am the good keeper; I have knowledge of my sheep, and they have knowledge of me, 15 Even as the Father has knowledge of me and I of the Father; and I am giving my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep which are not of this field: I will be their guide in the same way, and they will give ear to my voice, so there will be one flock and one keeper. 17 For this reason am I loved by the Father, because I give up my life so that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it away from me; I give it up of myself. I have power to give it up, and I have power to take it again. These orders I have from my Father.

19 There was a division again among the Jews because of these words. 20 And a number of them said, He has an evil spirit and is out of his mind; why do you give ear to him? 21 Others said, These are not the words of one who has an evil spirit. Is it possible for an evil spirit to make blind people see?

Jesus Rejected by the Jews

22 Then came the feast of the opening of the Temple in Jerusalem: it was winter; 23 And Jesus was walking in the Temple, in Solomon's covered way. 24 Then the Jews came round him, saying, how long are you going to keep us in doubt? If you are the Christ, say so clearly. 25 Jesus said in answer, I have said it and you have no belief: the works which I do in my Father's name, these give witness about me. 26 But you have no belief because you are not of my sheep. 27 My sheep give ear to my voice, and I have knowledge of them, and they come after me: 28 And I give them eternal life; they will never come to destruction, and no one will ever take them out of my hand. 29 That which my Father has given to me has more value than all; and no one is able to take anything out of the Father's hand. 30 I and my Father are one. 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to send at him. 32 Jesus said to them in answer, I have let you see a number of good works from the Father; for which of those works are you stoning me? 33 This was their answer: We are not stoning you for a good work but for evil words; because being a man you make yourself God. 34 In answer, Jesus said, Is there not a saying in your law, I said, You are gods? 35 If he said they were gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Writings may not be broken), 36 Do you say of him whom the Father made holy and sent into the world, Your words are evil; because I said, I am God's Son? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not have belief in me; 38 But if I am doing them, then have belief in the works even if you have no belief in me; so that you may see clearly and be certain that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.

39 Then again they made an attempt to take him; but he got away from them. 40 And he went again to the other side of the Jordan, to the place where John first gave baptism; and he was there for a time. 41 And a great number of people came to him, saying, John did no sign: but everything John said of this man was true. 42 And a number came to have faith in him there.

Jesus and Nicodemus

31 Now there was among the Pharisees a man named Nicodemus, who was one of the rulers of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we are certain that you have come from God as a teacher, because no man would be able to do these signs which you do if God was not with him. 3 Jesus said to him, Truly, I say to you, Without a new birth no man is able to see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus said to him, How is it possible for a man to be given birth when he is old? Is he able to go into his mother's body a second time and come to birth again? 5 Jesus said in answer, Truly, I say to you, If a man's birth is not from water and from the Spirit, it is not possible for him to go into the kingdom of God. 6 That which has birth from the flesh is flesh, and that which has birth from the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be surprised that I say to you, It is necessary for you to have a second birth. 8 The wind goes where its pleasure takes it, and the sound of it comes to your ears, but you are unable to say where it comes from and where it goes: so it is with everyone whose birth is from the Spirit. 9 And Nicodemus said to him, How is it possible for these things to be? 10 And Jesus, answering, said, Are you the teacher of Israel and have no knowledge of these things? 11 Truly, I say to you, We say that of which we have knowledge; we give witness of what we have seen; and you do not take our witness to be true. 12 If you have no belief when my words are about the things of earth, how will you have belief if my words are about the things of heaven? 13 And no one has ever gone up to heaven but he who came down from heaven, the Son of man. 14 As the snake was lifted up by Moses in the waste land, even so it is necessary for the Son of man to be lifted up: 15 So that whoever has faith may have in him eternal life.

God So Loved the World

16 For God had such love for the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever has faith in him may not come to destruction but have eternal life. 17 God did not send his Son into the world to be judge of the world; he sent him so that the world might have salvation through him. 18 The man who has faith in him does not come up to be judged; but he who has no faith in him has been judged even now, because he has no faith in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the test by which men are judged: the light has come into the world and men have more love for the dark than for the light, because their acts are evil. 20 The light is hated by everyone whose acts are evil and he does not come to the light for fear that his acts will be seen. 21 But he whose life is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his acts have been done by the help of God.

He Must Increase, but I Must Decrease

22 After these things Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judaea, and there he was with them for some time, giving baptism. 23 Now John was then giving baptism at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people came and were given baptism. 24 For at this time John had not been put into prison. 25 Then a question came up between John's disciples and a Jew about washing. 26 And they went to John and said to him, Rabbi, the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, the man to whom you gave witness, is now giving baptism, and everyone is going to him. 27 And this was John's answer: A man is unable to have anything if it is not given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves give witness that I said, I am not the Christ. What I said was, I am sent before the Christ. 29 He who has the bride is the husband: but the husband's friend, whose place is by his side and whose ears are open to him, is full of joy because of the husband's voice: such is my joy, and it is complete. 30 He has to become greater while I become less.

The Testimony from Heaven

31 He who comes from heaven is greater than all others: he who comes from earth is of the earth, and of the earth are his words: he who comes from heaven is over all. 32 He gives witness of what he has seen and of what has come to his ears; and no man takes his witness as true. 33 He who so takes his witness has made clear his faith that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent says God's words; and God does not give him the Spirit by measure. 35 The Father has love for the Son and has put all things into his hands. 36 He who has faith in the Son has eternal life; but he who has not faith in the Son will not see life; God's wrath is resting on him.