Isaiah 55:6

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

Seek Yahweh while he may be found, - Call ye upon him while he is near:

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
So you should look for the Lord before it is too late. You should call to him now, while he is near.

New Living Translation
Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.

Update Bible Version
Seek Yahweh while he may be found; call on him while he is near:

New Century Version
So you should look for the Lord before it is too late; you should call to him while he is near.

New English Translation
Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; call to him while he is nearby!

Webster's Bible Translation
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

World English Bible
Seek you Yahweh while he may be found; call you on him while he is near:

Amplified Bible
Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call on Him [for salvation] while He is near.

English Standard Version
"Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Seke ye the Lord, while he mai be foundun; clepe ye hym to help, while he is niy.

English Revised Version
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Berean Standard Bible
Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.

Contemporary English Version
Turn to the Lord ! He can still be found. Call out to God! He is near.

American Standard Version
Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near:

Bible in Basic English
Make search for the Lord while he is there, make prayer to him while he is near:

Complete Jewish Bible
Seek Adonai while he is available, call on him while he is still nearby.

Darby Translation
Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near;

King James Version (1611)
Seeke ye the Lord, while he may be found, call ye vpon him while he is neere.

New Life Bible
Look for the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near.

New Revised Standard
Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near;

Geneva Bible (1587)
Seeke ye the Lord while he may be found: call ye vpon him while he is neere.

George Lamsa Translation
Seek the LORD; and when you find him, call upon him while he is near;

Douay-Rheims Bible
Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found: call upon him, while he is near.

Revised Standard Version
"Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Seke the Lorde whyle he may be founde, and call vpon hym whyle he is nye.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Seek ye the Lord, and when ye find him, call upon him; and when he shall draw nigh to you,

Good News Translation
Turn to the Lord and pray to him, now that he is near.

Christian Standard Bible®
Seek the Lord while he may be found;call to him while he is near.

Hebrew Names Version
Seek you the LORD while he may be found; call you on him while he is near:

King James Version
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Lexham English Bible
Seek Yahweh while he lets himself be found; call him while he is near.

Literal Translation
Seek Jehovah while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.

Young's Literal Translation
Seek ye Jehovah, while He is found, Call ye Him, while He is near,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Seke the LORDE while he maye be founde, call vpo him while he is nye.

THE MESSAGE
Seek God while he's here to be found, pray to him while he's close at hand. Let the wicked abandon their way of life and the evil their way of thinking. Let them come back to God , who is merciful, come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness.

New American Standard Bible
Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.

New King James Version
Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.

Legacy Standard Bible
Seek Yahweh while He may be found;Call upon Him while He is near.

Contextual Overview

⁶ Seek Yahweh while he may be found, - Call ye upon him while he is near: ⁷ Let the lawless forsake his way, And the man of iniquity, his thoughts, - And let him return unto Yahweh That he may have compassion upon him, And unto our God, For he will abundantly pardon. ⁸ For, my thoughts, are not, your thoughts, Nor, your ways, my ways, - Declareth Yahweh. ⁹ For, higher, are the heavens than the earth, - So, higher, are My ways than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. ¹⁰ For, as the rain and the snow descend from the heavens. And thither, do not return, Except they have watered the earth. And caused it to bring forth and bud, - And given seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, ¹¹ So, shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth, It shall not return unto me void, - But shall accomplish that which I please, And shall prosper in that whereunto I have sent it. ¹² For with gladness shall ye come forth, And in peace, shall ye be led, - the mountains and the hills shall break out, before you, into shouts of triumph, And all the wild trees shall clap their hands: ¹³ Instead of the thorn-bush, shall come up the fir-tree, And instead of the nettle, shall come up the myrtle-tree, - So shall it become unto Yahweh, a Name, A Sign age-abiding, which shall not be cut off.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Seek: Isaiah 45:19, 1 Chronicles 28:9, 2 Chronicles 19:3, Job 8:5, Psalms 14:2, Psalms 27:8, Psalms 32:6, Psalms 95:7, Jeremiah 29:12-14, Amos 5:6, Matthew 5:25, Matthew 7:7, Matthew 7:8, Matthew 25:11, Matthew 25:12, Luke 13:25, John 7:33, John 7:34, John 8:21, John 12:35, John 12:36, 2 Corinthians 6:1, 2 Corinthians 6:2, Hebrews 2:3, Hebrews 3:13

while he is near: Isaiah 12:6, Isaiah 46:13, Deuteronomy 4:7, Psalms 75:1, Psalms 145:18, Psalms 148:14, Ezekiel 8:6, Ephesians 3:13

Reciprocal: Exodus 33:7 - sought Deuteronomy 4:29 - But if Deuteronomy 30:2 - return unto 1 Kings 8:48 - And so return 2 Kings 17:13 - Turn ye 1 Chronicles 16:10 - let the heart 2 Chronicles 7:14 - turn from 2 Chronicles 12:14 - to seek 2 Chronicles 14:4 - seek 2 Chronicles 15:2 - if ye seek him 2 Chronicles 15:4 - found of them 2 Chronicles 30:6 - turn again 2 Chronicles 33:13 - he was entreated Ezra 10:2 - yet now there is hope Job 22:23 - return Job 23:3 - where Job 36:10 - commandeth Psalms 7:12 - If Psalms 9:10 - hast Psalms 34:18 - is nigh Psalms 50:16 - wicked Psalms 53:2 - seek Psalms 69:13 - in an Psalms 69:32 - your heart Psalms 105:3 - let the heart Proverbs 1:23 - Turn Proverbs 8:17 - those Proverbs 10:5 - gathereth Song of Solomon 3:1 - but Song of Solomon 3:4 - but Isaiah 1:16 - put away Isaiah 1:19 - General Isaiah 51:1 - ye that seek Jeremiah 3:1 - yet return Jeremiah 18:11 - return Jeremiah 24:7 - for they Jeremiah 25:5 - Turn Jeremiah 29:13 - ye shall Jeremiah 29:14 - I will be Jeremiah 33:3 - Call Jeremiah 36:3 - they may Jeremiah 50:4 - seek the Lamentations 3:25 - unto Ezekiel 14:6 - Repent Ezekiel 18:21 - if the Ezekiel 33:11 - turn ye Ezekiel 36:37 - I will yet Daniel 4:27 - break Hosea 10:12 - time Hosea 12:6 - turn Hosea 14:1 - return Joel 2:12 - turn Amos 5:4 - Seek Jonah 3:8 - let Zephaniah 2:3 - Seek ye Zechariah 1:3 - Turn Zechariah 7:7 - Should ye not hear the words Malachi 3:7 - Return unto me Matthew 6:5 - when Matthew 9:13 - but Matthew 21:29 - he repented Matthew 22:9 - General Matthew 25:9 - but Luke 3:13 - Exact Luke 5:32 - General Luke 11:9 - seek Luke 12:58 - give Luke 15:20 - But Luke 19:42 - in this Luke 23:43 - To day John 4:10 - thou wouldest John 8:11 - go Acts 3:19 - be Acts 8:22 - pray Acts 9:11 - for Acts 24:25 - when Romans 3:11 - seeketh Romans 10:12 - call upon him 2 Corinthians 5:20 - as Ephesians 1:7 - the forgiveness Ephesians 2:4 - who 1 Timothy 1:14 - exceeding Titus 2:12 - denying Hebrews 3:7 - To day Hebrews 4:16 - obtain Hebrews 6:1 - repentance James 1:5 - let James 4:8 - Draw nigh to God James 5:11 - the Lord is 1 John 3:22 - whatsoever

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found,.... The Lord is to be sought unto at all times, whenever the people of God meet together, especially on sabbath days, and while the external ministry of the word lasts, and life itself; so the Targum,

"seek the fear of the Lord, while ye are alive.''

Kimchi compares it with Ecclesiastes 9:10. The Jewish writers, as Aben Ezra and others, generally interpret it before the sealing of the decree, or before the decree is gone forth. It may be understood of place, as well as time, and be rendered, "seek the Lord in the place where he may be found" l; God is to be found, as Aben Ezra observes, in all places, and at all times; under the Old Testament there was a particular place appointed for the worship of God, the tabernacle and temple, where he was to be sought unto, and might be found; under the New Testament, all places are alike, and wherever the church and people of God meet together, there he is to be sought, and there he may be found, even in his house and ordinances:

call ye upon him while he is near; the same thing designed by different words: seeking and calling design not only prayer, but the whole of public worship, and the time and place when and where the Lord is to be found, and is near. Aben Ezra thinks it refers to the Shechinah in the sanctuary. Perhaps it may have some respect to the time of Christ's incarnation, and his being in the land of Judea; and to the destruction of the temple by the Romans, when the Lord could be no more sought unto, and found in that place; or when the Christians were obliged to move from Jerusalem, because of the siege of it; and when the Jews had no more an opportunity of hearing the Gospel there.

l So in the Jerusalem Talmud, as quoted by Abendana on the place,

"seek the Lord, where he is found, in the synagogues, and in the schools; call upon him, where he is near, in the synagogues, and in the schools.''

And so another Jewish writer, mentioned by him, interprets the words,

"whilst the Shechinah is found in the sanctuary; before he hides his face, and causes his Shechinah to remove from you.''

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Seek ye the Lord - The commencement of religion in the heart is often represented as seeking for God. or inquiring for his ways Deuteronomy 4:29; Job 5:8; Job 8:5; Psalms 9:10; Psalms 14:2; Psalms 27:8. This is to be regarded as addressed not to the Jewish exiles only or uniquely, but to all in view of the coming and work of the Messiah. That work would be so full and ample that an invitation could be extended to all to seek after God, and to return to him. It is implied here:

1. That people are by nature ignorant of God - since they are directed to ‘seek’ for him.

2. That if people will obtain his favor it must be sought. No man becomes his friend without desiring it; no one who does not earnestly seek for it.

3. That the invitation to seek God should be made to all. In this passage it is unlimited (compare Isaiah 55:7). Where there are sinners, there the invitation is to be offered.

4. That the knowledge of God is of inestimable value. He would not command people to seek that which was worthless; he would not urge it with so much earnestness as is here manifested if it were not of inexpressible importance.

While he may be found - It is implied here:

1. That God may now be found.

2. That the time will come when it will be impossible to obtain his favor.

The leading thought is, that under the Messiah the offer of salvation will be made to people fully and freely. But the period will come when it will be withdrawn. If God forsakes human beings; if he wholly withdraws his Spirit; if they have committed the sin which hath never forgiveness; or if they neglect or despise the provisions of mercy and die in their sins, it will be too late, and mercy cannot then be found. How unspeakably important, then, is it to seek for mercy at once - lest, slighted now, the offer should be withdrawn. or lest death should Overtake us, and we be removed to a world where mercy is unknown! How important is the present moment - for another moment may place us beyond the reach of pardon and of grace! How amazing the stupidity of men who suffer their present moments to pass away unimproved, and who, amidst the gaieties and the business of life, permit the day of salvation to pass by, and lose their souls! And how just is the condemnation of the sinner! If a man will not do so simple a thing as to ask for pardon, he ought to perish. The universe will approve the condemnation of such a man; and the voice of complaint can never be raised against that Holy Being who consigns such a sinner to hell.

Call ye upon him - That is, implore his mercy (see Romans 10:13; compare Joel 2:32). How easy are the terms of salvation! How just will be the condemnation of a sinner if he will not call upon God! Assuredly, if people will not breathe out one broken-hearted petition to the God of heaven that they may be saved, they have only to blame themselves if they are lost. The terms of salvation could be made no easier; and man can ask nothing more simple.

While he is near - In an important sense God is equally near to us at all times. But this figurative language is taken from the mode of speaking among people, and it denotes that there are influences more favorable for seeking him at some periods than others. Thus God comes near to us in the preaching of his word, when it is borne with power to the conscience; in his providences, when he strikes down a friend and comes into the very circle where we move, or the very dwelling where we abide; when he lays his hand upon us in sickness, he is near us by day and by night; in a revival of religion, or when a pious friend pleads with us, God is near to us then, and is calling us to his favor. These are favorable times for salvation; times which, if they are suffered to pass by unimproved, return no more; periods which will all soon be gone, and when they are gone, the sinner irrecoverably dies.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 55:6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found — Rab. David Kimchi gives the true sense of this passage: "Seek ye the Lord, because he may be found: call upon him, because he is near. Repent before ye die, for after death there is no conversion of the soul."