counsel
e.tsah denotes advice given for a decision and, in some contexts, an intended course or purpose that is carried out or frustrated.
The word most often denotes counsel offered or followed in making a decision, especially among kings, elders, and advisers. It also names an intended course that may be devised, concealed, frustrated, or brought to fulfillment; several passages apply this latter use to what the LORD has purposed.
Senses in use
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Advice offered for a decision · dominant
The singular noun occurs with identifiable advisers and recipients: in 1 Kings 12:8 the APB renders the king's rejection of the elders' counsel before he consults younger men, while 1 Kings 12:14 renders his reply as being according to the young men's counsel. In 2 Samuel 16:20, Absalom asks Ahithophel what should be done, and in 2 Samuel 17:14 competing counsel is evaluated as better or less effective.
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A devised plan or course of action · common
In passages about hostile or strategic action, the noun names a course that people devise or seek to defeat. In Isaiah 8:10 the APB renders the clause "Devise a plan, and it will be frustrated," and Jeremiah 19:7 renders the LORD's making void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem before their defeat. Jeremiah 18:23 places the construct form within the enemies' plotting to kill the speaker.
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Purpose declared and fulfilled by the LORD · occasional
When the noun is linked to the LORD, the surrounding clauses present a settled purpose rather than advice sought from another person. In Isaiah 46:10 the APB renders "My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my pleasure," and Isaiah 44:26 joins fulfillment of the messengers' counsel to the rebuilding of Jerusalem and Judah's cities. Jeremiah 49:20 introduces what the LORD has purposed against Edom.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the term with "counsel," especially where people advise rulers or others. In plan-oriented contexts it also uses wording such as "plan," "plots," and "purpose"; These are verse-level renderings rather than fixed equivalents.