Job 27:4-6

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 

[27:4]  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.

[27:4]  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.

[27:5]  ³ tn The text uses חָלִילָה לִּי (khalilah li) meaning “far be it from me,” or more strongly, something akin to “sacrilege.”

[27:5]  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.

[27:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “my heart.”

[27:6]  ⁶ tn The prepositional phrase “from my days” probably means “from the days of my birth,” or “all my life.”