Bible verses about "doorkeepers" | JMNT

¹ [continuing the above discussion] "I tell you folks it is certainly true (amen, amen; count on it): the person not habitually entering in through door (or: gate; opening for entrance/exit) into the sheepfold (the walled-in pen for the sheep), but rather repeatedly climbing up elsewhere (or: stepping back over [the wall] from another place), that one exists being a thief and a plunderer (one who seizes by violence; or: an insurrectionist; a brigand). ² "But the person habitually entering through the door is the sheep's own shepherd [note: root meaning of 'shepherd' is 'to protect']. ³ "The doorkeeper (the one who takes care of the gate and has charge of the sheep in the fold at night) is regularly opening up to (or: for) him, and the sheep are constantly hearing and listening to his voice, and he habitually summons (or: calls out to) his sheep, [each] by its own name, and is constantly leading them forth (or: out). ⁴ "And whenever he may thrust out (eject) all his own sheep, he is habitually passing on in front of them, and the sheep progressively follow him, because they have been acquainted with and recognize his voice. ⁵ "Yet to that [voice] belonging to another person they simply will not continue following; on the contrary, they will progressively take to flight (flee) from it (or: him), because they have not been acquainted with nor recognize the voice belonging to the other ones." ⁶ Jesus told them this proverb (common saying), yet those did not intimately experience nor come to know or understand what things they were which He has been speaking to them. ⁷ Therefore, again, Jesus said to them, "I tell you, and it is certainly true (amen, amen), I Myself am the Door for the sheep (or: the sheep's Gate and Entrance). ⁸ "All – as many as came – before Me are thieves and plunderers (those who seize by violence; brigands; insurrectionists), but yet the sheep did not listen to (or: hear, pay attention or [obey]) them. ⁹ "I Myself am the Door (or: Gate; Entrance); if anyone should enter in through Me he will be constantly kept safe and protected (made whole and returned to his original condition; rescued; delivered; saved), and he will be habitually going in (entering) and going out (exiting), and he will continue finding pasture (something to feed on). ¹⁰ "The thief does not constantly come, except to the end that he may steal, slaughter (slay for food – as for a feast – or, for a sacrifice) and destroy (utterly loose away). I Myself come so that they can progressively possess (would continuously have; could habitually hold) Life, and may continue possessing [it] in superabundance (or: and may have a surplus surrounding them in excessive amounts). ¹¹ "I Myself am the Ideal Shepherd (the Beautiful Protector of and Provider for the sheep). The Ideal (Fine; Beautiful) Shepherd continually places His soul over the sheep (or: habitually sets [p45 & others: gives] His soul-life and His entire being for, and on behalf of the situation of, the sheep). ¹² "The hireling (hired hand working for wages) – not even being a shepherd [and] the sheep are not his own – continues attentively watching the wolf progressively coming, and proceeds to abandon the sheep and to take flight – and the wolf continues ravenously snatching them away and progressively scattering and dispersing them – ¹³ "because he is a hireling and it is not a concern to him (or: a care for him) about the sheep. ¹⁴ "I Myself am the Ideal (the Beautiful; the Fine) Shepherd, and I intimately know Mine by experience, and Mine are now intimately coming to know (or: progressively are intimately knowing) Me by experience, ¹⁵ "just as the Father has continuous, intimate knowledge of Me, and I have continuous, intimate knowledge of the Father, and I am constantly placing My soul over the sheep. ¹⁶ "And I constantly have (hold; possess) other sheep which do not exist (or: are not) from out of this fold (or: sheep pen), and it is binding (or: necessary) for Me to progressively lead those also, and they will continue listening to (will habitually hear and pay attention to [implying: obey]) My voice, and they [other MSS: it; there] will progressively become One Flock, One Shepherd. ¹⁷ "On this account the Father continuously loves Me, because I Myself am constantly placing (or: repeatedly setting; or: progressively laying [down]) My soul (inner life or being; or: = the whole self), to the end that I may take it in My hand (or: receive her) again.

¹⁹ Then a tearing split-effect (= a division) occurred again among the Jews (= religious authorities) through these words (or: on account of these ideas). ²⁰ Now many of them began saying, "He continues having a demon (a Hellenistic concept and term: = animistic influence) and is insane (mad; manic; crazy). Why do you continue listening to (or: hearing; = paying attention to) him?" ²¹ Others were saying, "These are not the gush-effects of (or: result of a flow from; spoken words of; declarations from) a demoniac (of one being constantly affected or afflicted by a demon). A demon (= an animistic influence) is not able and has no power to open up blind people's eyes!" ²² At that time [the feast (or: festival) of] the Dedications (or: celebration of renewals or rededication; feast of lights; Hanukkah) occurred within Jerusalem – it was winter (the rainy and stormy season). ²³ Jesus had been walking around in the Temple grounds, within Solomon's Colonnade (Portico; covered porch attached to the Temple buildings). ²⁴ Then the Jews (= religious authorities) surrounded (or: encircled) Him, and began to say to Him, "Until when are you continuing to lift up our soul (= How long are you going to constantly keep us in suspense, or with high expectations)? If YOU (or: you yourself) are the Christ (the Anointed One; = the Messiah), openly (outspokenly; boldly and publicly, with freedom of speech, as a citizen) tell us!"

¹⁸ "No one at any point lifts it [with other MSS: Not one person is presently lifting her] up and carries it away (or: proceeds to remove her) from Me; on the contrary, I Myself continue putting (placing; setting; laying) it (or: her) away from Myself. I constantly hold authority (continuously have the right and hold the ‘position’; or: continue possessing privilege from out of the midst of Being) to place it (put her; lay it), and I constantly hold authority from out of being (continuously possess the right, forth from [My] existence; = am in the authoritative position) to take it (or: receive her; resume it) again. This implanted goal (purposed impartation of the finished product within; inward directive and destiny) I received from (or: at) My Father's side."

²⁵ Jesus directly answered them, "I did tell you folks, and you continue not trusting or believing with conviction. The works (The deeds; The actions) which I Myself am continually doing (or: progressively performing; regularly producing) within My Father's Name, these are continuously bearing witness (giving testimony; showing evidence) about Me. ²⁶ "But you folks yourselves are not in the habit of trusting or believing, because you are not from out of My sheep (or: because you presently exist being no sheep of Mine), just as I told you, ²⁷ "because My sheep are constantly hearing and listening to [implying: obeying] My voice, and I Myself am progressively (or: continuously) knowing them by intimate experience, and they are progressively (or: habitually) following Me, ²⁸ "and I Myself am continuously giving eonian life (age-enduring life; life having the qualities and characteristics of the Age [of Messiah]; a life from, of and for the ages) to and in them and so by no means (or: under no circumstances) can they at any point be lost or destroyed, or even cause themselves to perish; and further, no one will be snatching them (or: taking them by force) from out of My hand. ²⁹ "My Father, Who has given [them] to Me, is greater than all (or: everything; all things or people; [other MSS read: What My Father has given to Me is greater than all]), and no one has power or is able to proceed to snatch from out of the Father's hand. ³⁰ "I and the Father are (continuously exist being) ONE (or: I and Father: We are one thing [= essence, nature or being]; or: = unity; union)." ³¹ Then the Jews (= leaders of the Jewish religion) again picked up stones and brought them so that they could stone Him (pelt Him with stones; or: kill Him with stones). ³² Jesus discerningly replies to them, "I exhibited (pointed out and showed) to you folks many beautiful works (ideal acts; fine and noble deeds) issuing from out of the midst of the [other MSS: My] Father. Because of what kind (sort; character) of work, of them, are you men proceeding to stone Me?" ³³ The Jews (= religious authorities) considered and answered Him, "We are not proceeding to stone you about beautiful works, but rather, about blasphemy (villainous, impious slander; defaming communication and misrepresentation [of God]) – even because YOU (or: you yourself), being a human (a man), continue making yourself God (or: a god)." ³⁴ Jesus judiciously replies to them, "Is it not standing written within your Law [other MSS: the Law; = the Torah] that 'I say, you people are (or: exist being) gods'? [Ps. 82:6] ³⁵ "Since He said 'gods' [= elohim] to whom God's Word (or: Logos) came to be (or: toward whom the Idea, whose source and origin is God, was birthed; toward whom God's message proceeded and was directed into existence) – and it is not possible (or: there is no power) for the Scripture [= the Tanakh] to be loosened, to be undone so as to nullify, or to be destroyed – ³⁶ "are you yourselves now saying to the One Whom the Father set apart (consecrated as holy) and sent forth as an Emissary (on a mission; as a Representative) into the organized System (into the world; into the cosmos; unto the realm of the secular; into the religious and cultural complex) – that 'You are blaspheming (speaking impious villainy and giving a false image [of God]),' because I said, 'I am (exist being) God's Son'? ³⁷ "If I am not habitually (continually; progressively) doing My Father's works (deeds; actions), do not make it a habit to put trust in Me (or: Don't proceed to believe Me). ³⁸ "Yet since I am constantly performing (habitually doing; repeatedly making; progressively producing), even if you can not now be trusting or believing in Me, continue to [other MSS: at some point] trust and believe in and by the results (acts; works; deeds) so that you may come to experientially know and habitually trust (or: believe [other MSS: continue knowing]) that the Father [is] within Me, and I [am] within the Father." ³⁹ Therefore they kept on seeking [opportunity], again, to lay hold of and arrest Him at some point, but He went forth out of their hands. ⁴⁰ So He went off (or: away), again, to the other side of the Jordan [River], into the place where John had been habitually immersing [folks] the first time (or: formerly), and continued remaining (abiding; dwelling) there. ⁴¹ Then many came to Him, and they began saying, "John, indeed, did not perform a single (or: one) sign, yet all – whatever John said about this one – was true." ⁴² And so many believed and put convinced trust into Him there.