10:12a

The hired hand is not the shepherd, and the sheep are not his own: These words contrast The hired hand and the shepherd. It is therefore important that the term you use for the shepherd can refer to a man who owns the sheep. In some languages it may be natural to emphasize the contrast by translating this as a separate sentence. For example:

The worker who is paid to keep the sheep is different from the shepherd who owns them. (New Century Version)

The hired hand: This phrase refers to a person who is employed to take care of the sheep. The owner of the sheep pays this person to look after the sheep. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

The hired man
-or-
The paid worker
-or-
The man who receives money/wages to care for the sheep

The phrase The hired hand is used as a metaphor for the false religious teachers. Here are some ways that they are similar:

• They are mainly interested in their own financial gain.

• They do not protect those they are responsible for.

• They try to escape in times of danger.

It is good to continue to translate this extended metaphor literally. But consider how you can help your readers understand that Jesus used an illustration. He did not actually criticize paid farm workers. (Nor did he criticize all religious teachers who receive pay/wages.) The main point is that he is not concerned about the sheep, which is not like the shepherd.

is not the shepherd, and the sheep are not his own: The two phrases is not the shepherd and the sheep are not his own both describe the hired man. They are saying the same thing in two different ways. The shepherd was the one who owned the sheep, not the hired man. In some languages it may be natural to make this clear. For example:

who is not the shepherd who owns the sheep (New International Version)
-or-
is different from the shepherd who owns them (New Century Version)

and the sheep are not his own: The sheep do not belong to the hired man. It is implied that this is why he does not care about their welfare very much. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

he is not the owner of the sheep
-or-
the sheep do not belong to him

10:12b

When he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away: The subject of these actions is the hired man from 10:12a. The hired man is not willing to face danger for the benefit of the sheep. He does what is best for himself and runs away from the wolf, leaving the sheep in danger. In some languages it may be natural to begin a new sentence here. For example:

He sees a wolf coming and, leaving the sheep, he runs away.
-or-
When he sees a wolf coming, the hired worker abandons the sheep and runs off.

sees the wolf coming: This phrase indicates that the hired man sees a wolf, any wolf, coming toward the sheep pen. Jesus did not refer to a specific wolf. For example:

sees a wolf coming (New Century Version)
-or-
when they see a wolf coming (Contemporary English Version)

wolf: A wolf is a wild dog that is a danger both to sheep and people. In some cultures wolves are unknown. If this is the case in your language area, it may be helpful to do one of the following:

• Include a picture of a wolf and a footnote explaining that wolves were a threat to both sheep and people.

• Use a phrase that describes a wolf. For example:

wild dog
-or-
fierce dog

• Use a general word for a dangerous animal like a predator, which hunts other animals for food. For example:

predator

• Substitute another dangerous animal. This should be an animal known both to your culture and to the culture of Jesus’ time. For example:

bear
-or-
lion

he abandons the sheep and runs away: The hired man runs away, leaving the sheep behind. He is only interested in earning money, not in protecting the sheep from danger. In some languages it may be natural to reverse the order of the verbs abandons and runs away. For example:

and escapes, leaving the sheep ⌊in danger⌋
-or-
he runs away ⌊from the wolf⌋ , abandoning the sheep

General Comment on 10:12 a-b

In some languages it is more natural to say first that the hired man does not defend the sheep and then say why. For example:

12b A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep 12a because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. (New Living Translation (2004))

10:12c

Then the wolf pounces on them and scatters the flock: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the first Then here introduces the two results of what just happened. The wolf does two things to the flock (group of sheep). Here are other ways to translate these clauses:

and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. (New International Version)

the wolf pounces on them: This clause indicates the first result of the hired man running away. The wolf seizes or grabs some of the sheep in order to kill and eat them. For example:

he will now kill-and-eat (Tagbanwa Back Translation)

and scatters the flock: The conjunction and connects the two results of the hired man running away. The second result is that the wolf scatters the flock. That means that the sheep do not stay together but run away in different directions.

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