27:4 my 1 lips will not speak wickedness,
and my tongue will whisper 2 no deceit.
27:5 I will never 3 declare that you three 4 are in the right;
until I die, I will not set aside my integrity!
27:6 I will maintain my righteousness
and never let it go;
my conscience 5 will not reproach me
for as long as I live. 6
1 tn The verse begins with אִם (’im), the formula used for the content of the oath (“God lives…if I do/do not…”). Thus, the content of the oath proper is here in v. 4.
2 tn The verb means “to utter; to mumble; to meditate.” The implication is that he will not communicate deceitful things, no matter how quiet or subtle.
3 tn The text uses חָלִילָה לִּי (khalilah li) meaning “far be it from me,” or more strongly, something akin to “sacrilege.”
4 tn In the Hebrew text “you” is plural – a reference to Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad. To make this clear, “three” is supplied in the translation.
5 tn Heb “my heart.”
6 tn The prepositional phrase “from my days” probably means “from the days of my birth,” or “all my life.”