Jeremiah 23:18

Contemporary English Version

But I, the Lord , tell you that these prophets have never attended a meeting of my council in heaven or heard me speak.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For who has stood in the council of the Lordto see and hear his word?Who has paid attention to his word and obeyed?

Hebrew Names Version
For who has stood in the council of the LORD, that he should perceive and hear his word? who has marked my word, and heard it?

King James Version
For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord , and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?

English Standard Version
For who among them has stood in the council of the Lord to see and to hear his word, or who has paid attention to his word and listened?

New American Standard Bible
"But who has stood in the council of the LORD, That he should see and hear His word? Who has paid attention to His word and listened?

New Century Version
But none of these prophets has stood in the meeting of angels to see or hear the message of the Lord . None of them has paid close attention to his message.

Amplified Bible
"But who [among them] has stood in the council of the LORD, That he would perceive and hear His word? Who has marked His word [noticing and observing and paying attention to it] and has [actually] heard it?

World English Bible
For who has stood in the council of Yahweh, that he should perceive and hear his word? who has marked my word, and heard it?

Geneva Bible (1587)
For who hath stand in the counsel of the Lord that he hath perceiued and heard his word? Who hath marked his worde and heard it?

Legacy Standard Bible
But who has stood in the council of Yahweh,That he should see and hear His word?Who has given heed to His word and heard?

Berean Standard Bible
But which of them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and obeyed it?

Complete Jewish Bible
But which of them has been present at the council of Adonai to see and hear his word? Who has paid attention to his word enough to hear it?"

Darby Translation
For who hath stood in the council of Jehovah, so that he hath perceived and heard his word? who hath hearkened to his word and listened?

Easy-to-Read Version
But none of these prophets has stood in the heavenly council. None of them has seen or heard the message from the Lord . None of them has paid close attention to his message.

George Lamsa Translation
For who has stood in the counsel of the LORD and has seen him and heard his word? or who has given ear to his word and heard him?

Good News Translation
I said, "None of these prophets has ever known the Lord 's secret thoughts. None of them has ever heard or understood his message, or ever listened or paid attention to what he said.

Lexham English Bible
For who has stood in the council of Yahweh, that he has seen and heard his word? Who has listened attentively to his word and heard it?

Literal Translation
For who has stood in the counsel of Jehovah, and has seen and heard His Word? Who has listened to His Word and heard?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For who hath sytten in the councell of the LORDE, that he hath herde and vnderstonde, what he is aboute to do? Who hath marcked his deuyce, and herde it?

American Standard Version
For who hath stood in the council of Jehovah, that he should perceive and hear his word? who hath marked my word, and heard it?

Bible in Basic English
For which of them has knowledge of the secret of the Lord, and has seen him, and given ear to his word? which of them has taken note of his word and given attention to it?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
For who hath stood in the council of the LORD, that he should perceive and hear His word? Who hath attended to His word, and heard it?

King James Version (1611)
For who hath stood in the counsell of the Lord, and hath perceiued, and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For who hath sitten in the counsayle of the Lorde, that he hath hearde and vnderstande what he is about to do? who hath marked his deuice, and hearde it?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord, and seen his word? who has hearkened, and heard?

English Revised Version
For who hath stood in the council of the LORD, that he should perceive and hear his word? who hath marked my word, and heard it?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For whi who is present in the councel of the Lord, and siy, and herde his word? who bihelde, and herde the word of hym?

Update Bible Version
For who has stood in the council of Yahweh, that he should perceive and hear his word? who has marked my word, and heard it?

Webster's Bible Translation
For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard [it]?

New English Translation
Yet which of them has ever stood in the Lord 's inner circle so they could see and hear what he has to say? Which of them have ever paid attention or listened to what he has said?

New King James Version
For who has stood in the counsel of the LORD, And has perceived and heard His word? Who has marked His word and heard it?

New Living Translation
"Have any of these prophets been in the Lord 's presence to hear what he is really saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen?

New Life Bible
But who among them has listened to the Lord, that he should see and hear His Word? Who has given thought to His Word and listened?

New Revised Standard
For who has stood in the council of the Lord so as to see and to hear his word? Who has given heed to his word so as to proclaim it?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For who hath stood in the council of Yahweh, that he should see and hear his word? Who hath given ear to his word and heard it?

Douay-Rheims Bible
For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath seen and heard his word? Who hath considered his word and heard it?

Revised Standard Version
For who among them has stood in the council of the LORD to perceive and to hear his word, or who has given heed to his word and listened?

Young's Literal Translation
For who hath stood in the counsel of Jehovah, And seeth and heareth His word? Who hath regarded My word, and hearkeneth?

THE MESSAGE
"Have any of these prophets bothered to meet with me, the true God ? bothered to take in what I have to say? listened to and then lived out my Word? Look out! God 's hurricane will be let loose— my hurricane blast, Spinning the heads of the wicked like tops! God's raging anger won't let up Until I've made a clean sweep, completing the job I began. When the job's done, you'll see that it's been well done.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But who has stood in the council of the LORD, That he should see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and listened?

Contextual Overview

⁹ When I think of the prophets, I am shocked, and I tremble like someone drunk, because of the Lord and his sacred words. ¹⁰ Those unfaithful prophets misuse their power all over the country. So God turned the pasturelands into scorching deserts. ¹¹ The Lord told me to say: You prophets and priests think so little of me, the Lord , that you even sin in my own temple! ¹² Now I will punish you with disaster, and you will slip and fall in the darkness. I, the Lord , have spoken. ¹³ The prophets in Samaria were disgusting to me, because they preached in the name of Baal and led my people astray. ¹⁴ And you prophets in Jerusalem are even worse. You're unfaithful in marriage and never tell the truth. You even lead others to sin instead of helping them turn back to me. You and the people of Jerusalem are evil like Sodom and Gomorrah. ¹⁵ You prophets in Jerusalem have spread evil everywhere. That's why I, the Lord , promise to give you bitter poison to eat and drink. ¹⁶ The Lord said: Don't listen to the lies of these false prophets, you people of Judah! The message they preach is something they imagined; it did not come from me, the Lord All-Powerful. ¹⁷ These prophets go to people who refuse to respect me and who are stubborn and do whatever they want. The prophets tell them, "The Lord has promised everything will be fine." ¹⁸ But I, the Lord , tell you that these prophets have never attended a meeting of my council in heaven or heard me speak.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

who: Jeremiah 23:22, 1 Kings 22:24, Job 15:8-10, 2 Chronicles 18:23, Isaiah 40:13, Isaiah 40:14, 1 Corinthians 2:16

counsel: or, secret, Psalms 25:14, Amos 3:7, John 15:15

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 29:29 - secret Isaiah 5:19 - let the Romans 11:34 - General Ephesians 1:11 - the counsel

Cross-References

Genesis 34:20
The two men met with the other leaders of their city and told them:

Ruth 4:1
In the meanwhile, Boaz had gone to the meeting place at the town gate and was sitting there when the other close relative came by. So Boaz invited him to come over and sit down, and he did.

Jeremiah 32:12
And while he, the witnesses, and all the other Jews sitting in the courtyard were still watching, I gave both copies to Baruch son of Neriah.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord,.... These are either the words of the Prophet Jeremiah; signifying that none of the false prophets were of God's privy council, or were acquainted with his secrets, that they could tell the people they should have peace, and no evil come upon them; this they said, not from divine revelation, but from the imagination of their own hearts; for though the Lord does nothing but he reveals it to his servants, the prophets; yet not to men of such bad principles and wicked lives as they were: or rather these are the words of the false prophets; either taking this to themselves, that they were of God's privy council, and knew his secrets, and ask who were besides themselves; or else insulting the prophets of the Lord, as though they took too much upon them to threaten the people with captivity and destruction, as if they were in the secret of the most High, and his privy counsellors; but that they thought themselves in such a situation seems to be the sense, from Jeremiah 23:22;

and hath perceived and heard his word? or, "hath seen and heard his word?" a seen a vision from him, and "heard" the word from his mouth, declaring the above things? or "seen" what was in his heart, what he purposed and designed to do; and "heard" what he said he would do?

who hath marked his word, and heard [it]? listened and attended to it, and obeyed it? not the false prophets, but the true ones; as the Targum of the whole is,

"for they stood not (or rose not up) that the secret from before the Lord might be revealed to them; and they saw not, nor heard his words; nor did they hearken to his word, nor receive;''

or obey; understanding this of the false prophets.

a וירא "et vidit", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius Tremellius, Piscator "qui videat", Schmidt.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The prophet now applies this test to the circumstances of the times. A whirlwind has already gone forth Jeremiah 23:19. Had these false prophets stood in God’s secret “Council” (so in Jeremiah 23:22), they like Jeremiah would have labored to avert the danger by turning men from their evil way.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 23:18. Who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord — Who of them has ever received a word of prophecy from me? My word is not in them.