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
- WEB Being defamed, we entreat. We are made as the filth of the world, the dirt wiped off by all, even until now.
- BSB when we are slandered, we answer gently. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.
- NKJV being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.
- NASB 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.
- NLT 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.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
When slandered, Paul answers gently, even while being treated as the world's garbage. It matters because the servant of Christ accepts contempt for the gospel's sake.
Overview
Paul completes his portrait of apostolic suffering: defamed, he responds kindly, and he is regarded as the 'filth' and 'scum' of the world. The language recalls a scapegoat or refuse swept away. Sharing in Christ's rejection, the apostle's lowly standing is itself a testimony, exposing the folly of Corinthian pride and pointing to the upside-down values of the kingdom.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Lam 3:45Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.
- Acts 22:22And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 4:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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