The Supremacy of God’s Son
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, awhom he appointed the heir of all things, bthrough whom also he created the world. 3 cHe is the radiance of the glory of God and dthe exact imprint of his nature, and ehe upholds the universe by the word of his power. After fmaking purification for sins, ghe sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the hname he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
i“You are my Son,
today I have begotten you”?
Or again,
j“I will be to him a father,
and he shall be to me a son”?
6 And again, when he brings the kfirstborn into the world, he says,
l“Let all God’s angels worship him.”
7 Of the angels he says,
m“He makes his angels winds,
and his ministers a flame of fire.”
8 But of the Son he says,
n“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the ooil of gladness beyond your companions.”
10 And,
p“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,
and the heavens are the work of your hands;
11 they will perish, but you remain;
they will all qwear out like a garment,
12 like a robe you will rroll them up,
like a garment they will be changed.1
But syou are the same,
and your years will have no end.”
13 And to which of the angels has he ever said,
t“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?
14 Are they not all uministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to vinherit salvation?
I Am the Good Shepherd
1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the fshepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep ghear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This hfigure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did inot understand what he was saying to them.
7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, jI am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will kbe saved and will lgo in and out and find mpasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and nkill and destroy. I came that they may ohave life and have it abundantly. 11 I am pthe good shepherd. The good shepherd qlays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a rshepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and sleaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and tcares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. uI know my own and my own know me, 15 just as vthe Father knows me and wI know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have xother sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and ythey will listen to my voice. So there will be zone flock, aone shepherd. 17 For this reason bthe Father loves me, because I lay down my life cthat I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This dcharge I have received from my Father.”
19 There was again a edivision among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, “He fhas a demon, and is ginsane; why listen to him?” 21 hOthers said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon iopen the eyes of the blind?”
I and the Father Are One
22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the jcolonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? kIf you are the Christ, tell us lplainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name mbear witness about me, 26 but nyou do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep ohear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I pgive them eternal life, and they will never perish, and qno one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, rwho has given them to me,1 is sgreater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 tI and the Father are one.”
31 The Jews picked up stones uagain to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for vblasphemy, wbecause you, being a man, xmake yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, y‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—zand Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ abecause I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, bbelieve the works, that you may know and understand that cthe Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Again they sought to darrest him, ebut he escaped from their hands.
40 He went away again across the Jordan to fthe place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but geverything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And hmany believed in him there.
