Tjifaniso tje nlisi
1 Jesu kalebeleka kati, “Ndolebesa tjose ndoti kumuli, iye usingangine mu danga le pkhwizi nge pa nkoba, engina ngothukila, i mbava kakale ntoleli, 2 koga unongina nge nkoba ndiye nlisi we pkhwizi. 3 Nlindi we pa nkoba unonzhulila, pkhwizi dzohwa hwi lile. Ngono unodana pkhwizi dzinobe dzili dzidze nge mazina adzo edzitungamilila kuzhe. 4 Ha adzidusa, unodzitungamila, ngono dzikantobela, ngobe dziziba hwi lile. 5 Adzingatobele mwezi, dzowontizha, ngobe dzisingazibe hwi lile.”
6 Jesu wakababudza tjifano itjetji, koga bakasihwisise tjaanodwa.
Jesu ndiye nlisi wakalulwama
7 Jesu kapapha kati, “Ndolebesa tjose ndoti kumuli, imi ndimi nkoba unongina nge pkhwizi. 8 Bose bamwe bakazha mbeli kwangu i mbava ne batoleli ngono pkhwizi adzizobahwilila. 9 Ndimi nkoba. Iye unongina ndimi unowotjidziwa, unowongina kabhuda kawana mafulo. 10 Mbava inozha kuwokwiba ne kuwobulaya ne kuwolobesa. Imi ndakazha kuti babe ne butjilo, kakale babe nago nge buzhalo.
11 “Ndimi nlisi wakalulwama. Nlisi wakalulwama wakazwimisila kufila pkhwizi dzidze. 12 Nthu unolisila kulipiwa, ate ali nlisi, kakale ate ali mweni we pkhwizi, unoti ebona phele izha, katizha kasiya pkhwizi, ngono phele ikabhata pkhwizi ikadzipaladza. 13 Unotizha, ngobe ali mbhatshi koga, asina hanya ne pkhwizi. 14 Ndimi nlisi wakalulwama, ndoziba pkhwizi dzangu, na idzo dzondizibabo, 15 koga sa Tate bendiziba nami ndibaziba sekwa banondiziba. Ndakazwimisila kufila pkhwizi dzangu. 16 Ndina dzimwe pkhwizi dzangu dzisi dze danga ileli. Ngono ndakafanila ndidzizhisebo, ngono dzowohwa hwi langu, ndizo kowobe ne danga ling'ompela lina nlisi nng'ompela.
17 “Ngekwa ikoku, tate banondida, ngobe ndawopila butjilo gwangu kuti ndizo ndiguamutjile kakale. 18 Akuna unonditolela butjilo gwangu. Ndimi ndakazwimisila kuti ndife. Ndina simba le kugukoba kakale ndina simba le kuguamutjila kakale. Etji nditjo tjandakadwiwa ndi Tate.”
19 Kukabe ne kuthubukana kakale pakati kwe Bajuta ngekwe matama iyawa. 20 Bunji gwabo guti, “Una meya mbi! Unopenga! Mohwilililani tjaanoleba?”
21 Bamwe beti, “Nthu una meya mbi aangalebe matama akajali. Apa meya mbi ingapofunula mapofu tjini kene?”
Kulambiwa kwa Jesu
22 Kwakabe kuli mu mbaba, ngono kukabe kuli mu nzano we tjikumbuludzo tje kuyengemadziwa kwe Ng'umba ye Ndzimu mu Jerusalema. 23 Jesu wakabe eyenda yenda mu ntutshi unodang'wa Denga la Solomoni mu bhakasa le Ng'umba ye Ndzimu. 24 Bajuta bakankubunganila bakambhuzwa beti, “Unowotilindisa kungapani usathu ukatibudza malebeswa? Ha uli iwe Mesiya, utibudze kube patjena.”
25 Jesu kabashandula eti, “Ndakamubudza ntolo, koga amutoduma. Mishingo yandinoshinga nge zina la Tate inolakidza nge kwangu, 26 koga amutoduma, ngobe ate muli pkhwizi dzangu. 27 Pkhwizi dzangu dzohwa hwi langu, ndodziziba na idzo dzonditobela. 28 Ndodzipa butjilo gusingapele, ngono adzingalobe. Akuna ungadzidzamula mu maboko angu. 29 Tate bakandipa idzo ba nkulu pana bose, ngono akuna ungadzamula tjimwe mu maboko a Tate. 30 Imi na Tate ti banng'ompela.”
31 Bajuta bakanunga mabgwe kakale beti bankikithidze. 32 Koga Jesu kabadwa kati, “Ndakashinga mishingo minjinji mibuya inodwa kuna Tate muli yapo, ndiupi wayo wamunoshaka kundikikithidzila iwo?”
33 Bajuta bakanshandula beti, “Atitokukikithidzilila mishingo mibuya, koga tokukikithidzilila kutuka Ndzimu! Unozwithama Ndzimu koga uli nthu!”
34 Jesu kabashandula eti, “Kwakakwagwa mu nlayo wenyu kuyi Ndzimu wakati, ‘Mu midzimu.’ 35 Toziba kuti tjinolebgwa nge Hwalo dze Ndzimu malebeswa nge kusingapele, Ndzimu wakabadana midzimu, 36 ngono motini nge kwa iye wakayengemadziwa ndi Tate bakantuma mu shango kene? Ini munditendeka nge tjinyala muti ndotuka Ndzimu andati ndi Nkololo we Ndzimu? 37 Ha ndisingashinge mishingo ya Tate musigalemoyo mundili. 38 Koga ha ndishinga tjinodiwa ndi Tate, nenguba musingagalemoyo mundili, bukulu galanimoyo zwiyito zwangu, ndizo muzibe kuti Tate bamundili, nami ndimuna Tate.”
39 Bakagwisa kumbhata kakale, koga kapudzumuka mu maboko abo.
40 Kabgwilila seli kwe gwizi gwe Jorodani pakabe Johani e dubikila bathu kutanga, kaswika kagala ikoko. 41 Bathu banjinji bakazha kunli. Bakati, “Johani aazotongobe ethama zwilakidzo, koga tjimwe ne tjimwe tjaakaleba ngekwe nlume iwoyu tjakabe tjili malebeswa.” 42 Banji bakagalamoyo munli ipapo.
The Parable of the Shepherd
1 Jesus said, “I am telling you the truth: the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who goes in through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him; the sheep hear his voice as he calls his own sheep by name, and he leads them out. 4 When he has brought them out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow someone else; instead, they will run away from such a person, because they do not know his voice.”
6 Jesus told them this parable, but they did not understand what he meant.
Jesus the Good Shepherd
7 So Jesus said again, “I am telling you the truth: I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All others who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Those who come in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness.
11 “I am the good shepherd, who is willing to die for the sheep. 12 When the hired man, who is not a shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees a wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away; so the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hired man runs away because he is only a hired man and does not care about the sheep. 14-15 I am the good shepherd. As the Father knows me and I know the Father, in the same way I know my sheep and they know me. And I am willing to die for them. 16 There are other sheep which belong to me that are not in this sheep pen. I must bring them, too; they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd.
17 “The Father loves me because I am willing to give up my life, in order that I may receive it back again. 18 No one takes my life away from me. I give it up of my own free will. I have the right to give it up, and I have the right to take it back. This is what my Father has commanded me to do.”
19 Again there was a division among the people because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon! He is crazy! Why do you listen to him?”
21 But others were saying, “A man with a demon could not talk like this! How could a demon give sight to blind people?”
Jesus Is Rejected
22 It was winter, and the Festival of the Dedication of the Temple was being celebrated in Jerusalem. 23 Jesus was walking in Solomon's Porch in the Temple, 24 when the people gathered around him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? Tell us the plain truth: are you the Messiah?”
25 Jesus answered, “I have already told you, but you would not believe me. The deeds I do by my Father's authority speak on my behalf; 26 but you will not believe, for you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never die. No one can snatch them away from me. 29 What my Father has given me is greater than everything, and no one can snatch them away from the Father's care. 30 The Father and I are one.”
31 Then the people again picked up stones to throw at him. 32 Jesus said to them, “I have done many good deeds in your presence which the Father gave me to do; for which one of these do you want to stone me?”
33 They answered, “We do not want to stone you because of any good deeds, but because of your blasphemy! You are only a man, but you are trying to make yourself God!”
34 Jesus answered, “It is written in your own Law that God said, ‘You are gods.’ 35 We know that what the scripture says is true forever; and God called those people gods, the people to whom his message was given. 36 As for me, the Father chose me and sent me into the world. How, then, can you say that I blaspheme because I said that I am the Son of God? 37 Do not believe me, then, if I am not doing the things my Father wants me to do. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, you should at least believe my deeds, in order that you may know once and for all that the Father is in me and that I am in the Father.”
39 Once more they tried to seize Jesus, but he slipped out of their hands.
40 Jesus then went back again across the Jordan River to the place where John had been baptizing, and he stayed there. 41 Many people came to him. “John performed no miracles,” they said, “but everything he said about this man was true.” 42 And many people there believed in him.