Proverbs 1:28
New International Version
“Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me,

New Living Translation
“When they cry for help, I will not answer. Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me.

English Standard Version
Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

Berean Standard Bible
Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will earnestly seek me, but will not find me.

King James Bible
Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

New King James Version
“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.

New American Standard Bible
“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but will not find me,

NASB 1995
“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me,

NASB 1977
“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me,

Legacy Standard Bible
Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me earnestly but they will not find me,

Amplified Bible
“Then they will call upon me (Wisdom), but I will not answer; They will seek me eagerly but they will not find me,

Christian Standard Bible
Then they will call me, but I won’t answer; they will search for me, but won’t find me.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then they will call me, but I won’t answer; they will search for me, but won’t find me.

American Standard Version
Then will they call upon me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me:

Contemporary English Version
You will ask for my help, but I won't listen; you will search, but you won't find me.

English Revised Version
Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me diligently, but they shall not find me:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"They will call to me at that time, but I will not answer. They will look for me, but they will not find me,

Good News Translation
Then you will call for wisdom, but I will not answer. You may look for me everywhere, but you will not find me.

International Standard Version
"Then they will call out to me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.

Majority Standard Bible
Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will earnestly seek me, but will not find me.

NET Bible
Then they will call to me, but I will not answer; they will diligently seek me, but they will not find me.

New Heart English Bible
Then will they call on me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me;

Webster's Bible Translation
Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

World English Bible
Then they will call on me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Then they call me, and I do not answer, "" They seek me earnestly, and do not find me.

Young's Literal Translation
Then they call me, and I do not answer, They seek me earnestly, and find me not.

Smith's Literal Translation
Then they shall call upon me, and I will not answer; they shall seek me, and shall not find me;
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then shall they call upon me, and I will not hear: they shall rise in the morning and shall not find me:

Catholic Public Domain Version
then they will call to me, and I will not heed, they will arise in the morning, and not find me.

New American Bible
Then they will call me, but I will not answer; they will seek me, but will not find me,

New Revised Standard Version
Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but will not find me.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then they shall call upon me, but I will not answer them; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Then they will call on me and I shall not answer them, and they will come early to my presence and they will not find me
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Then will they call me, but I will not answer, They will seek me earnestly, but they shall not find me.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For it shall be that when ye call upon me, I will not hearken to you: wicked men shall seek me, but shall not find me.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Wisdom Calls Aloud
27when your dread comes like a storm, and your destruction like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish overwhelm you. 28Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will earnestly seek me, but will not find me. 29For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD.…

Cross References
Isaiah 55:6
Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.

Jeremiah 11:11
Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to bring upon them a disaster that they cannot escape. They will cry out to Me, but I will not listen to them.

Micah 3:4
Then they will cry out to the LORD, but He will not answer them. At that time He will hide His face from them because of the evil they have done.

Zechariah 7:13
And just as I had called and they would not listen, so when they called I would not listen, says the LORD of Hosts.

Hosea 5:6
They go with their flocks and herds to seek the LORD, but they do not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them.

Job 27:9
Will God hear his cry when distress comes upon him?

Psalm 18:41
They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—to the LORD, but He did not answer.

Psalm 66:18
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

Psalm 145:18-19
The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call out to Him in truth. / He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.

Isaiah 1:15
When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.

Ezekiel 8:18
Therefore I will respond with wrath. I will not look on them with pity, nor will I spare them. Although they shout loudly in My ears, I will not listen to them.”

Matthew 7:21-23
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. / Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ / Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

Matthew 25:11-12
Later the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us!’ / But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’

Luke 13:25-27
After the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ / Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ / And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’

John 9:31
We know that God does not listen to sinners, but He does listen to the one who worships Him and does His will.


Treasury of Scripture

Then shall they call on me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

shall they

Genesis 6:3
And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

Job 27:9
Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?

Job 35:12
There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the pride of evil men.

they shall seek

Psalm 78:34-36
When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early after God…

Hosea 5:15
I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.

Hosea 6:1-4
Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up…

Jump to Previous
Cries Diligently Early Earnestly Find Searching Seek
Jump to Next
Cries Diligently Early Earnestly Find Searching Seek
Proverbs 1
1. The use of the proverbs
7. An exhortation to fear God, and believe his word
10. to avoid the enticing of sinners
20. Wisdom complains of her contempt
24. She threatens her contemners














Then they will call on Me
This phrase indicates a future moment of desperation. The Hebrew root for "call" is "קָרָא" (qara), which often implies a loud cry or a plea for help. In the context of Proverbs, this calling is not a genuine seeking of God but a reaction to distress. Historically, this reflects the pattern seen in Israel's history, where the people often turned to God only in times of trouble, rather than maintaining a consistent relationship with Him. This serves as a warning to maintain a sincere and ongoing relationship with God, rather than treating Him as a last resort.

but I will not answer
The sobering reality of this phrase is that there comes a point when God, in His justice, may choose not to respond. The Hebrew word "עָנָה" (anah) means to respond or answer. This is not due to a lack of mercy on God's part, but rather a consequence of persistent rejection of His wisdom and guidance. It underscores the importance of seeking God while He may be found, as echoed in Isaiah 55:6. This is a call to heed God's wisdom before it is too late.

they will earnestly seek Me
The phrase "earnestly seek" comes from the Hebrew "שָׁחַר" (shachar), which conveys a diligent or early seeking. This implies a sense of urgency and intensity in the search. However, the context here is that this seeking is too late. It serves as a reminder that the time to seek God is now, with sincerity and commitment, rather than waiting until calamity strikes.

but will not find Me
The tragic conclusion of this verse is that despite their earnest seeking, they will not find God. The Hebrew "מָצָא" (matsa) means to find or attain. This reflects a principle found throughout Scripture: the opportunity to find God is not indefinite. Jesus echoes this in the New Testament, warning of the closed door in the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:10-12). It is a call to be vigilant and prepared, living in a state of readiness and obedience to God's call.

(28) Then shall they call upon me.--They did not call upon Him in an "acceptable time," in "a day of salvation" (Isaiah 49:8), while He was "near" (Isaiah 55:6); so at last the master of the house has "risen up, and shut-to the door" (Luke 13:25), and will not listen to their cries.

They shall seek me early.--As God had done, "daily rising up early," and sending the prophets unto them (Jeremiah 7:25).

Verse 28. - The phase which the address now enters upon continues to the thirty-first verse. The change in this verse from the second to the third person is striking. It implies that Wisdom thinks fools no longer worthy of being addressed personally - "Quasi stultos indignos censunt ulteriori alloquio" (Gejerus and Michaelis). The declaration is the embodiment of the laughter and scorn of ver. 26. The three verbs, "they shall call," "they shall seek," "they shall find," occur in uncommon and emphatic forms in the original. They are some out of the few instances where the future terminations are inserted fully before the pronominal suffix. I will not answer. The distress and anguish consequent upon their calamity and fear lead them to pray, but there will be no answer nor heed given to their cry. They are not heard, because they do not cry rightly nor in the time of grace (Lapide). See the striking parallel to the tenor of this passage in Luke 13:24-28. They shall seek me early; i.e. diligently. The verb שָׁחַר (shakhar) is the denominative from the substantive שַׁחַר (shakar), "the dawn, morning," and signifies to go out and seek something in the obscurity of the morning twilight (Delitzsch, Zockler), and hence indicates diligence and earnestness in the search. Gesenius gives the same derivation, but connects it with the dawn in the sense of the light breaking forth, and thus, as it were, seeking (see also Proverbs 2:27; 7:15; 8:17; Hosea 5:15).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then
אָ֣ז (’āz)
Adverb
Strong's 227: At that time, place, therefore

they will call on me,
יִ֭קְרָאֻנְנִי (yiq·rā·’un·nî)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | first person common singular, Paragogic nun
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

but I will not
וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

answer;
אֶֽעֱנֶ֑ה (’e·‘ĕ·neh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 6030: To answer, respond

they {will} earnestly seek me,
יְ֝שַׁחֲרֻ֗נְנִי (yə·ša·ḥă·run·nî)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | first person common singular, Paragogic nun
Strong's 7836: To dawn, be, early at any task, to search for

but {will} not
וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

find me.
יִמְצָאֻֽנְנִי׃ (yim·ṣā·’un·nî)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | first person common singular, Paragogic nun
Strong's 4672: To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present


Links
Proverbs 1:28 NIV
Proverbs 1:28 NLT
Proverbs 1:28 ESV
Proverbs 1:28 NASB
Proverbs 1:28 KJV

Proverbs 1:28 BibleApps.com
Proverbs 1:28 Biblia Paralela
Proverbs 1:28 Chinese Bible
Proverbs 1:28 French Bible
Proverbs 1:28 Catholic Bible

OT Poetry: Proverbs 1:28 Then will they call on me (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 1:27
Top of Page
Top of Page