12. A worthless person, a man of iniquity,
walking with a crooked mouth,
13. narrowing his eyes,
uttering with his feet,
teaching with his fingers,
14. perversity in his heart,
devising evil continually,
sows discord.
15. Therefore his calamity will come suddenly.
Suddenly he will be broken, and there will be no remedy.
16. Six things the LORD hates,
and seven are an abomination to his soul.
17. Eyes exalting,
a tongue of falsehood,
and hands shedding blood of innocence,
18. a heart devising thoughts of iniquity,
feet hastening to run to evil,
19. he speaks lies, a witness of falsehood,
sending forth discord among brothers.
Verses 12-14 are one sentence, and the main clause is “A worthless person, a man of iniquity… sows discord. Verses 17-19 are also one sentence, and the main clause is in verse 19: “he speaks lies.”
Verses 17-19 repeat key words or ideas from verses 12-14: mouth and tongue, eyes, feet, fingers and hands, heart, devising evil and devising thoughts of iniquity, sowing discord.
Verses 12-14 are about evil speaking, but the speaking is with the whole body: mouth, eyes, feet, fingers and heart. Verses 17-19 are the seven things the Lord hates, and all of these are directly associated with the body’s evil speaking in verses 12-14. He hates the crooked mouth, the narrowed eyes, the speaking feet, the teaching fingers and the perverse heart that sow discord, especially that sow discord among brothers. They are an abomination to him. The calamity of this worthless person, this man of iniquity, will come suddenly and there will be no remedy.