The prophet urges the people in exile to pray to the LORD while he is close to them. He wants them to take advantage of the opportunity to return home to Jerusalem. The two lines of this verse are parallel in meaning and syntax. They both begin with an imperative verb that is followed by an object and then a time clause.

Seek the LORD while he may be found: Seek the LORD calls on the people to pray to God and obey him (see the comments on 9.13; see also 51.1, where a different Hebrew verb is used). In ancient Israel seek the LORD was originally a call to offer sacrifices, but in later times (as here) it was a call for prayer and obedience. While he may be found indicates that God is not so far away that his people cannot find him. He is always accessible to them. For languages that prefer an active verb here, this clause may be rendered “while you can find him.” If the verbs Seek and be found incorrectly imply in the receptor language that the people had to find God since he was lost, an alternative rendering for this line is “Pray to the LORD—he can/will hear you.”

Call upon him while he is near: This parallel line also invites the people to pray to the LORD since he is nearby. He is near means God stands close to his people. They can communicate to him easily. He is not a distant deity. By prayer and worship they can come into his presence. He is near may be rendered “he is not far from you.”

Good News Translation combines while he may be found and while he is near by rendering the whole verse as “Turn to the LORD and pray to him, now that he is near.” Bible en français courant says “Turn to the Lord, now that he lets himself be found. Appeal to him, now that he is near you.” Other possible models for this verse are:

• Turn to the LORD while you can find him,
pray to him while he is near you.

• Seek Yahweh while he can be found,
invoke him while he has come near.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .