1 Corinthians 4:13

King James Version

Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
When people say bad things about us, we try to say something that will help them. But people still treat us like the world's garbage—everyone's trash.

Revised Standard Version
when slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become, and are now, as the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
We are evyll spoken of and we praye. We are made as it were the filthynes of the worlde the ofscowringe of all thinges even vnto this tyme.

Hebrew Names Version
Being defamed, we entreat. We are made as the filth of the world, the dirt wiped off by all, even until now.

International Standard Version
When slandered, we answer with kind words. Up to this moment we have become the filth of the world, the scum of the universe!Lamentations 3:45;">[xr]

New American Standard Bible
when we are slandered, we reply as friends; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.

New Century Version
When they tell evil lies about us, we speak nice words about them. Even today, we are treated as though we were the garbage of the world—the filth of the earth.

Update Bible Version
being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things, even until now.

Webster's Bible Translation
Being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things to this day.

English Standard Version
when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.

World English Bible
Being defamed, we entreat. We are made as the filth of the world, the dirt wiped off by all, even until now.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and off-scouring of all things to this day.

Weymouth's New Testament
when slandered, we try to conciliate. We have come to be regarded as the mere dirt and filth of the world--the refuse of the universe, even to this hour.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
as clensyngis of this world we ben maad the `out castyng of alle thingis `til yit.

English Revised Version
being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things, even until now.

Berean Standard Bible
when we are slandered, we answer gently. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.

Contemporary English Version
When someone curses us, we answer with kind words. Until now we are thought of as nothing more than the trash and garbage of this world.

Amplified Bible
When we are slandered, we try to be conciliatory and answer softly. We have become like the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.

American Standard Version
being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things, even until now.

Bible in Basic English
When evil things are said about us we give gentle answers: we are made as the unclean things of the world, as that for which no one has any use, even till now.

Complete Jewish Bible
when we are slandered, we continue making our appeal. We are the world's garbage, the scum of the earth — yes, to this moment!

Darby Translation
insulted, we entreat: we are become as [the] offscouring of the world, [the] refuse of all, until now.

Etheridge Translation
13 they maltreat us, and we pray for them; as the refuse of the world are we made and the execration [fn] of all men until now.

Murdock Translation
they revile us, and we entreat them: we are as the filth of the world, and the expiation for all men, up to this time.

King James Version (1611)
Being defamed, we intreate: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the off-scouring of all things vnto this day.

New Living Translation
We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world's garbage, like everybody's trash—right up to the present moment.

New Life Bible
When people say bad things about us, we answer with kind words. People think of us as dirt that is worth nothing and as the worst thing on earth to this day.

New Revised Standard
when slandered, we speak kindly. We have become like the rubbish of the world, the dregs of all things, to this very day.

Geneva Bible (1587)
We are euill spoken of, and we pray: we are made as the filth of the world, the offskowring of all things, vnto this time.

George Lamsa Translation
Being reviled, we intreat;: we are looked upon as the refuse of the world, and we are the revilement of every man to this day.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Being defamed, we beseech: as the sweepings of the world have we become, the offscouring of all - until even now.

Douay-Rheims Bible
We are blasphemed: and we entreat. We are made as the refuse of this world, the offscouring of all, even until now.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
We are euyll spoken of, and we praye: we are made as the fylthynesse of the worlde, the ofscowryng of all thynges vnto this day.

Good News Translation
when we are insulted, we answer back with kind words. We are no more than this world's garbage; we are the scum of the earth to this very moment!

Christian Standard Bible®
when we are slandered, we respond graciously. Even now, we are like the scum of the earth, like everyone’s garbage.

Lexham English Bible
when we are slandered, we encourage. We have become like the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things, until now.

Literal Translation
being defamed, we entreat. We have become as filth of the world, dirt wiped off by all until now.

Young's Literal Translation
being spoken evil of, we entreat; as filth of the world we did become -- of all things an offscouring -- till now.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
We are euell spoken of, and we praye: We are become as it were the very outswepinges of ye worlde, yee the of scowringe of all men vnto this tyme.

Mace New Testament (1729)
and when we are defamed, we intreat: in a word, we are look'd upon as the dregs and scum of mankind, even to this day.

New English Translation
when people lie about us, we answer in a friendly manner. We are the world's dirt and scum, even now.

New King James Version
being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.

Simplified Cowboy Version
When people talk crap about us, we repay it with a gentle answer. We have become the laughingstock of the world and the scum of the earth. This is true at this very moment.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.

Legacy Standard Bible
when we are slandered, we try to plead; we have become as the scum of the world, the grime of all things, even until now.

Contextual Overview

⁷ For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? ⁸ Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. ⁹ For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. ¹⁰ We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. ¹¹ Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; ¹² And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: ¹³ Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Lamentations 3:45, Acts 22:22

Reciprocal: Psalms 89:51 - they have Psalms 123:4 - with the scorning Ezekiel 36:3 - and are Nahum 3:6 - I will cast Malachi 2:3 - spread Matthew 5:44 - General Matthew 26:67 - did John 16:2 - shall Acts 21:36 - General Acts 21:38 - that Acts 24:5 - we have Romans 12:14 - General 1 Corinthians 4:1 - account 1 Peter 3:9 - rendering

Cross-References

Job 15:22
He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword.

Revelation 16:9
And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

Revelation 16:11
And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

Revelation 16:21
And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Being defamed, we entreat,.... Being blasphemed, as the word signifies, being evil spoken of, our good name taken away, and characters hurt; we entreat or pray to God for them, that he would convince them of their evil, give them repentance unto life, and remission of their sins, according to Christ's direction, Matthew 5:44 and in imitation of his example, Luke 23:34 or we entreat them; so the Syriac version reads it, בעינן מנהון, "we beseech them": not to blaspheme and speak evil of us, since it will be to their own hurt; we give them smooth words, and soft language, not rendering railing for railing, or reviling for reviling:

we are made as the filth of the world, and the offscouring of all things unto this day; referring, as some think, to Lamentations 3:45 or to the lustrations and expiations among the Heathens, who when any calamity was upon them, particularly a plague among them, used to take one of the refuse of the people, and sacrifice him by way of expiation; or any living creature, as a sheep which with imprecations they cast into a river, or into the sea, fancying it carried away all the contagion along with it; hence, by way of reproach, such that were under disgrace, and were ejected, and exiled, were called καθαρματα, "purgations"; the refuse of the people, by which the rest were purged u or the reference is to any dirt, or filth in common, swept out of houses, and trodden under foot; and so expresses the mean and abject condition of the apostles, and with what disdain and contempt they were treated in the world: all which shows that they were far from reigning as kings; and whilst this was their case, who were at the head of the interest of Christ, it must be a vain conceit of the Corinthians, that they reigned as kings without them.

u Vid. Turnebi Adversaria, l. 19. c. 22. & 26. 7. & 27. 16.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Being defamed - Greek, Blasphemed, that is, spoken of and to, in a harsh, abusive, and reproachful manner. The original and proper meaning of the word is to speak in a reproachful manner of anyone, whether of God or man. It is usually applied to God, but it may also be used of people.

We entreat - Either God in their behalf, praying him to forgive them, or we entreat them to turn from their sins, and become converted to God. Probably the latter is the sense. They besought them to examine more candidly their claims instead of reviling them; and to save their souls by embracing the gospel instead of destroying them by rejecting it with contempt and scorn.

We are made - We became; we are so regarded or esteemed. The word here does not imply that there was any positive agency in making them such, but simply that they were in fact so regarded.

As the filth of the earth - It would not be possible to employ stronger expressions to denote the contempt and scorn with which they were everywhere regarded. The word “filth” περικαθάρματα perikatharmata occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It properly denotes filth, or that which is collected by sweeping a house, or that which is collected and cast away by purifying or cleansing anything; hence, any vile, worthless, and contemptible object. Among the Greeks the word was used to denote the victims which were offered to expiate crimes, and particularly men of ignoble rank, and of a worthless and wicked character, who were kept to be offered to the gods in a time of pestilence, to appease their anger, and to purify the nation. Bretschneider and Schleusner. Hence, it was applied by them to people of the most vile, abject, and worthless character. But it is not certain that Paul had any reference to that sense of the word. The whole force of the expression may be met by the supposition that he uses it in the sense of that filth or dirt which is collected by the process of cleansing or scouring anything, as being vile, contemptible, worthless. So the apostles were regarded. And by the use of the word “world” here, he meant to say that they were regarded as the most vile and worthless men which the whole world could furnish; not only the refuse of Judea, but of all the nations of the earth. As if he had said “more vile and worthless people could not be found on the face of the earth.”

And are the off-scouring of all things - This word (περίψημα peripsēma) occurs no where else in the New Testament. It does not differ materially from the word rendered “filth.” It denotes that which is rubbed off by scouring or cleaning anything; and hence, anything vile or worthless; or a vile and worthless man. This term was also applied to vile and worthless people who were sacrificed or thrown into the sea as an expiatory offering, as it were to purify the people. Suidas remarks that; they said to such a man, “be then our περίψημα peripsēma,” our redemption, and then flung him into the sea as a sacrifice to Neptune. See Whitby, Calvin, Doddridge.

Unto this day - Continually. We have been constantly so regarded. See 1 Corinthians 4:11.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Corinthians 4:13. Being defamed — βλασφημουμενοι, Being blasphemed. I have already remarked that βλασφημειν signifies to speak injuriously, and may have reference either to God or to man. GOD is blasphemed when his attributes, doctrines, providence, or grace, are treated contemptuously, or any thing said of him that is contrary to his holiness, justice, goodness, or truth. Man is blasphemed when any thing injurious is spoken of his person, character, conduct, c. Blaspheming against men is any thing by which they are injured in their persons, characters, or property.

We are made as the filth of the earth-the offscouring of all things — The Greek word which we render filth, is περικαθαρματα, a purgation, or lustrative sacrifice that which we translate offscouring is περιψημα, a redemption sacrifice. To understand the full force of these words, as applied by the apostle in this place, we must observe that he alludes to certain customs among the heathens, who, in the time of some public calamity, chose out some unhappy men of the most abject and despicable character to be a public expiation for them; these they maintained a whole year at the public expense; and then they led them out, crowned with flowers, as was customary in sacrifices; and, having heaped all the curses of the country upon their heads, and whipped them seven times, they burned them alive, and afterwards their ashes were thrown into the sea, while the people said these words: περιψημαἡμων γινου, be thou our propitiation. Sometimes the person thus chosen was thrown into the sea as a sacrifice to Neptune, the people saying the words as before. Hence Origen says that our Lord, in giving up himself as a propitiation for our sins, was much more than his apostles-περικαθαρματα του κοσμου, παντων περιψημα, the lustration of the world, and the peculiar sacrifice for all men. The apostle, therefore, means that he and his fellows were treated like those wretched beings who were judged to be fit for nothing but to be expiatory victims to the infernal gods, for the safety and redemption of others. Our words filth and offscouring, convey no legitimate sense of the original. See several useful remarks upon these terms in Pearce, Whitby, and Parkhurst.