Amos 5:7 (KJV)

Passage

Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,

Nearby Context

Amos 5:5 But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.

Amos 5:6 Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.

Amos 5:7 Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,

Amos 5:8 Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name:

Amos 5:9 That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "turn", "judgment", "wormwood", "leave", "righteousness", and "earth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "turn" and "judgment", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "Seek the LORD and ye shall live..." into verse 8's "Seek him that maketh the seven stars...", so "turn" and "judgment" belong inside that flow. In Amos context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "turn" and "judgment" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.