When people seek the Lord out of selfish fear, will God not be found and only...

[ChrisGreenwood]

...laugh at their distress? Prov 1:26-28 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

 

[Allen]

As the verses prior to and after 26-28 state, this will happen to those who refuse to listen to God's advice to prevent the evil of judgment.

 

[PerchanceaLyssQ]

Those verses made me lol, then cry.

It is a good use of quite a few literary devices...

 

[eee]

ya..... hes the guy that said to smash babies heads agianist rocks..... true story, read bible

 

[JohnquillQuill]

God is just, but also merciful, of course.

 

[ChristineB]

Maybe you should read the whole proverb, instead of taking those 2 verses out of context.

20 Wisdom calls out in the street.
She raises her voice in public places.
21 At the noisy street corners she cries out.
Here is what she says near the gates of the city.
22 "How long will you childish people love your childish ways?
How long will you rude people enjoy making fun of God and others?
How long will you foolish people hate knowledge?
23 Suppose you had paid attention to my warning.
Then I would have poured out my heart to you.
I would have told you what I was thinking.
24 But you turned away from me when I called out to you.
None of you paid attention when I reached out my hand.
25 You turned away from all my advice.
You wouldn't accept my warning.
26 So I will laugh at you when you are in danger.
I will make fun of you when hard times come.
27 I will laugh when hard times hit you like a storm.
I will laugh when danger comes your way like a windstorm.
I will make fun of you when suffering and trouble come.
28 "Then you will call to me. But I won't answer.
You will look for me. But you won't find me.
29 You hated knowledge.
You didn't choose to have respect for the Lord.
30 You wouldn't accept my advice.
You turned your backs on my warnings.
31 So you will eat the fruit of the way you have lived.
You will choke on the fruit of what you have planned.
32 "Childish people go down the wrong path. They will die.
Foolish people are satisfied with the way they live. They will be destroyed.
33 But those who listen to me will live in safety.
They will not worry. They won't be afraid of getting hurt."