1Truly, truly I say to you, the one who does not enter through the door into the sheep courtyard but ascends from elsewhere, that one is a thief and a robber.2But the one who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep.3To this one the gatekeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and his own sheep he calls by name and leads them out.4When he has driven out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.5But a stranger they will never follow; instead they will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.6Jesus spoke this proverb to them, yet they did not understand what he was saying to them.7So Jesus spoke to them again: Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.8All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.9I am the door; through me if anyone enters he will be saved, and he will go in and go out and will find pasture.10The thief does not come except that he may steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and may have it in abundance.11I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and abandons the sheep and runs away; then the wolf snatches them and scatters them.13Because he is a hired worker and the sheep are not his concern.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, I lay down my life for the sheep.16And I have other sheep which are not from this courtyard; it is necessary for me to bring them also, and they will hear my voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd.17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord; I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again; this command I received from my Father.19A division again arose among the Jews because of these words.20Many of them were saying, "He has a demon and is raving; why listen to him?"21Others were saying, These declarations are not of one demon-possessed; a demon is not able to open blind eyes.