Amos 5:9 — Meaning and Application

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

{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:

That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress. {spoiled: Heb. spoil}

They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

Forasmuch therefore as your treading {is} upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them. {pleasant...: Heb. vineyards of desire}