2 The expression חַי־אֵל (khay-’el) is the oath formula: “as God lives.” In other words, the speaker is staking God’s life on the credibility of the words. It is like saying, “As truly as God is alive.”
3 “My judgment” would here, as before, be “my right.” God has taken this away by afflicting Job unjustly (A. B. Davidson, Job, 187).
4 The verb הֵמַר (hemar) is the Hiphil perfect from מָרַר (marar, “to be bitter”) and hence, “to make bitter.” The object of the verb is “my soul,” which is better translated as “me” or “my life.”
5 The adverb עוֹד (’od) was originally a noun, and so here it could be rendered “all the existence of my spirit.” The word comes between the noun in construct and its actual genitive (see §128.e).
6 The word נְשָׁמָה (néshamah) is the “breath” that was breathed into Adam in Gen 2:7. Its usage includes the animating breath, the spiritual understanding, and the functioning conscience—so the whole spirit of the person. The other word in this verse, רוּחַ (ruakh), may be translated as “wind,” “breath,” or “spirit/Spirit” depending on the context. Here, since it talks about the nostrils, it should be translated “breath.”
7 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.
8 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.
9 The text uses חָלִילָה לִּי (khalilah li) meaning “far be it from me,” or more strongly, something akin to “sacrilege.”
10 In the Hebrew text “you” is plural—a reference to Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad. To make this clear, “three” is supplied in the translation.
11 Heb “my heart.”
12 The prepositional phrase “from my days” probably means “from the days of my birth,” or “all my life.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“As God lives, who has taken away my right,

and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,

as long as my breath is in me,

and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,

my lips will not speak falsehood,

and my tongue will not utter deceit.

Far be it from me to say that you are right;

till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.

I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go;

my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,

the Almighty, who has made my life bitter,

as long as I have life within me,

the breath of God in my nostrils,

my lips will not say anything wicked,

and my tongue will not utter lies.

I will never admit you are in the right;

till I die, I will not deny my integrity.

I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it;

my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

As God lives, who has deprived me of justice,

and the Almighty who has made me bitter,

as long as my breath is still in me

and the breath from God remains in my nostrils,

my lips will not speak unjustly,

and my tongue will not utter deceit.

I will never affirm that you are right.

I will maintain my integrity until I die.

I will cling to my righteousness and never let it go.

My conscience will not accuse me as long as I live!

NLTNew Living Translation

“I vow by the living God, who has taken away my rights,

by the Almighty who has embittered my soul—

As long as I live,

while I have breath from God,

my lips will speak no evil,

and my tongue will speak no lies.

I will never concede that you are right;

I will defend my integrity until I die.

I will maintain my innocence without wavering.

My conscience is clear for as long as I live.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

“As God lives, he has removed my justice,

and Shaddai has made my inner self bitter.

For as long as my breath is in me,

and the spirit of God is in my nose,

my lips surely will not speak falseness,

and my tongue surely will not utter deceit.

Far be it from me that I would say that you are right;

until I pass away, I will not put away from me my blamelessness.

I hold fast to my righteousness, and I will not let it go;

my heart will not blame any of my days.

KJV 1900King James Version

As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment;

And the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;

All the while my breath is in me,

And the spirit of God is in my nostrils;

My lips shall not speak wickedness,

Nor my tongue utter deceit.

God forbid that I should justify you:

Till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.

My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go:

My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.

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