Exodus 9:2

2 If you refuse to release them and continue to hold on to them,

Exodus 9:2 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 9:2

For if thou refuse to let them go
Continue to refuse, as he had done: and wilt hold them still;
in the land, and under his dominion and oppression.

Exodus 9:2 In-Context

1 God said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'God, the God of the Hebrews, says: Release my people so they can worship me.
2 If you refuse to release them and continue to hold on to them,
3 I'm giving you fair warning: God will come down hard on your livestock out in the fields - horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep - striking them with a severe disease.
4 God will draw a sharp line between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. Not one animal that belongs to the Israelites will die.'"
5 Then God set the time: "Tomorrow God will do this thing."
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.