James 1:4

Mace New Testament

but constancy should be brought to its perfection, that you may be entirely accomplished, without any defect.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be.

Revised Standard Version
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
and let pacience have her parfect worke that ye maye be parfecte and sounde lackinge nothinge.

Hebrew Names Version
Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

New American Standard Bible
And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

New Century Version
Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need.

Update Bible Version
And let patience have [its] perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.

Webster's Bible Translation
But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

English Standard Version
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

World English Bible
Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
that ye may be perfect and intire, wanting nothing.

Weymouth's New Testament
Only let endurance have perfect results so that you may become perfect and complete, deficient in nothing.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and pacience hath a perfit werk, that ye be perfit and hole, and faile in no thing.

English Revised Version
And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.

Berean Standard Bible
Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Contemporary English Version
But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.

Amplified Bible
And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.

American Standard Version
And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.

Bible in Basic English
But let this power have its full effect, so that you may be made complete, needing nothing.

Complete Jewish Bible
But let perseverance do its complete work; so that you may be complete and whole, lacking in nothing.

Darby Translation
But let endurance have [its] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

International Standard Version
But you must let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

Etheridge Translation
but to patience let there be a perfect work, that you may be complete and perfected, and in nothing be deficient.

Murdock Translation
And let patience have its perfect work, so that ye may be complete and perfect, and may lack nothing.

King James Version (1611)
But let patience haue her perfect worke, that ye may be perfect, and entier, wanting nothing.

New Living Translation
So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

New Life Bible
Learn well how to wait so you will be strong and complete and in need of nothing.

New Revised Standard
and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And let patience haue her perfect worke, that ye may be perfect & entier, lacking nothing.

George Lamsa Translation
And let patience be a perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But let, your endurance, have, mature work, that ye may be mature and complete, in nothing, coming short.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And patience hath a perfect work: that you may be perfect and entire, failing in nothing.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And let patience haue [her] perfect worke, that ye may be perfect & sounde, lackyng nothyng.

Good News Translation
Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Christian Standard Bible®
And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

King James Version
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Lexham English Bible
And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

Literal Translation
But let patience have its perfective work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Young's Literal Translation
and let the endurance have a perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire -- in nothing lacking;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and let pacience haue her parfect worke, yt ye maye be parfecte aud sounde, lakinge nothinge.

New English Translation
And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.

New King James Version
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Simplified Cowboy Version
And if you keep on keepin' on, you'll make a top hand yet. There won't be nothin' you won't be able to tackle or ride.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Contextual Overview

² Consider the various tryals that surround you, my brethren, as matter of great joy; knowing this, ³ that the bringing your faith to the test, produces constancy. ⁴ but constancy should be brought to its perfection, that you may be entirely accomplished, without any defect. ⁵ If any of you is deficient in prudence, let him ask it of God, who liberally gives to all without upbraiding: and he will give it. ⁶ but let him be fully persuaded of the lawfulness of what he asks: for he that is diffident about that, is like the waves that fluctuate with the wind. ⁷ such a man must not expect any answer from the Lord. ⁸ a diffident man is inconstant in all his actions. ⁹ Let him that is poor triumph in the advantages of being a christian. ¹⁰ let the rich be humbled by his instability: for he is as transitory as a flower in the field. ¹¹ the sun is up and darts its rays, the grass is wither'd, its flowers droop, and all their beautiful appearance vanishes away. just so the rich man fades with all his projects.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

let: James 5:7-11, Job 17:9, Psalms 37:7, Psalms 40:1, Habakkuk 2:3, Matthew 10:22, Luke 8:15, Luke 21:19, Galatians 6:9

perfect and: James 3:2, Proverbs 4:8, Matthew 5:48, John 17:23, 1 Corinthians 2:6, Philippians 3:12-15, Colossians 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:17, Hebrews 13:21, 1 Peter 5:10, 1 John 4:17, 1 John 4:18

wanting: James 1:5, Matthew 19:20, Mark 10:21, Luke 18:22, 2 Peter 1:9

Reciprocal: Numbers 11:15 - kill me Job 1:22 - In all this Romans 8:25 - with patience Romans 8:28 - we know Romans 12:12 - patient 2 Corinthians 4:17 - worketh 2 Corinthians 13:11 - Be perfect Philippians 3:15 - as 1 Thessalonians 1:3 - and patience 2 Thessalonians 1:4 - your patience Hebrews 6:1 - let Hebrews 10:36 - ye have 1 Peter 1:7 - the trial 2 Peter 1:6 - patience Revelation 2:3 - hast patience

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But let patience have her perfect work,.... Or effect; or be brought unto perfection; which may denote both the sincerity and continuance of it unto the end, with constancy: patience may be said to be perfect, when it appears to be real and sincere, and not dissembled; for as there may be a feigned faith, a dissembled love, and an hypocritical hope, so likewise a mere show of patience: and certain it is, that as there is a patience which is commendable, there is one that is not, 1 Peter 2:20. And this phrase may also design the constant exercise of this grace to the end; for he that endures, or is patient, and continues so unto the end, shall be saved, and enjoy that perfection of glory and happiness expressed in the next clause:

that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing; which cannot be understood of the saints in this present life; only as they are in Christ, and in a comparative sense; or as perfection may denote sincerity, and uprightness; or of a perfection of parts, but not of degrees; for the saints are very imperfect in themselves, and are very far from being complete in soul, body, and spirit; and want many things, and are wanting in many things, both in the exercise of grace, and in the discharge of duty; but when patience has had its perfect work, and has been tried to the uttermost, and is found right, and has held out to the end; then shall the saints be perfect in holiness and happiness, and be entire, whole, and complete; as they will be in the resurrection morn, both in soul and body, and will want no good thing, and will be free from every sorrow, nor will they be deficient in any service; and to this sense agrees James 1:12.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But let patience have her perfect work - Let it be fairly developed; let it produce its appropriate effects without being hindered. Let it not be obstructed in its fair influence on the soul by murmurings, complaining, or rebellion. Patience under trials is fitted to produce important effects on the soul, and we are not to hinder them in any manner by a perverse spirit, or by opposition to the will of God. Every one who is afflicted should desire that the fair effects of affliction should be produced on his mind, or that there should be produced in his soul precisely the results which his trials are adapted to accomplish.

That ye may be perfect and entire - The meaning of this is explained in the following phrase - “wanting nothing;” that is, that there may be nothing lacking to complete your character. There may be the elements of a good character; there may be sound principles, but those principles may not be fully carried out so as to show what they are. Afflictions, perhaps more than anything else, will do this, and we should therefore allow them to do all that they are adapted to do in developing what is good in us. The idea here is, that it is desirable not only to have the elements or principles of piety in the soul, but to have them fairly carried out, so as to show what is their real tendency and value. Compare the notes at 1 Peter 1:7. On the word “perfect,” as used in the Scriptures, see the notes at Job 1:1. The word rendered “entire” (ὁλόκληροι holoklēroi) means, whole in every part. Compare the notes at 1 Thessalonians 5:23. The word occurs only in these two places. The corresponding noun (ὁλοκληρία holoklēria) occurs in Acts 3:16, rendered “perfect soundness.”

Wanting nothing - “Being left in nothing;” that is, everything being complete, or fully carried out.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse James 1:4. Let patience have her perfect work — That is, Continue faithful, and your patience will be crowned with its full reward; for in this sense is εργον, which we translate work, to be understood. It is any effect produced by a cause, as interest from money, fruit from tillage, gain from labour, a reward for services performed; the perfect work is the full reward. See many examples in Kypke.

That ye may be perfect and entire — τελειοι, Fully instructed, in every part of the doctrine of God, and in his whole will concerning you. ολοκληροι, having all your parts, members, and portions; that ye may have every grace which constitutes the mind that was in Christ, so that your knowledge and holiness may be complete, and bear a proper proportion to each other. These expressions in their present application are by some thought to be borrowed from the Grecian games: the man was τελειος, perfect, who in any of the athletic exercises had got the victory; he was ολοκληοος, entire, having every thing complete, who had the victory in the pentathlon, in each of the five exercises. Of this use in the last term I do not recollect an example, and therefore think the expressions are borrowed from the sacrifices under the law. A victim was τελειος, perfect, that was perfectly sound, having no disease; it was ολοκληρος, entire, if it had all its members, having nothing redundant, nothing deficient. Be then to the Lord what he required his sacrifices to be; let your whole heart, your body, soul, and spirit, be sanctified to the Lord of hosts, that he may fill you with all his fulness.