diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/67340-slurp_error_message.yml b/changelogs/fragments/67340-slurp_error_message.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a67344e8a55
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/67340-slurp_error_message.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+bugfixes:
+- "slurp - Fix error messages for unreadable files and directories(https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/67340)."
diff --git a/lib/ansible/modules/slurp.py b/lib/ansible/modules/slurp.py
index a216b651451..fd64860d32e 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/modules/slurp.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/modules/slurp.py
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ source:
 '''
 
 import base64
+import errno
 import os
 
 from ansible.module_utils.basic import AnsibleModule
@@ -91,13 +92,16 @@ def main():
     )
     source = module.params['src']
 
-    if not os.path.exists(source):
-        module.fail_json(msg="file not found: %s" % source)
-    if not os.access(source, os.R_OK):
-        module.fail_json(msg="file is not readable: %s" % source)
+    try:
+        os.stat(source)
+        with open(source, 'rb') as source_fh:
+            source_content = source_fh.read()
+    except (IOError, OSError) as e:
+        if e.errno == errno.ENOENT:
+            module.fail_json(msg="file not found: %s" % source)
+        elif e.errno == errno.EACCES:
+            module.fail_json(msg="file is not readable: %s" % source)
 
-    with open(source, 'rb') as source_fh:
-        source_content = source_fh.read()
     data = base64.b64encode(source_content)
 
     module.exit_json(content=data, source=source, encoding='base64')
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/slurp/defaults/main.yml b/test/integration/targets/slurp/defaults/main.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..05d1041e760
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/slurp/defaults/main.yml
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+become_test_user: testuser
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/slurp/handlers/main.yml b/test/integration/targets/slurp/handlers/main.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..eeda7cedb55
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/slurp/handlers/main.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+- name: remove test user and their home dir
+  user:
+    name: "{{ become_test_user }}"
+    state: absent
+    remove: yes
+    force: yes
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/slurp/tasks/main.yml b/test/integration/targets/slurp/tasks/main.yml
index 4f3556fad44..97f3561e215 100644
--- a/test/integration/targets/slurp/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/test/integration/targets/slurp/tasks/main.yml
@@ -96,3 +96,7 @@
       - "slurp_no_args is failed"
       - "slurp_no_args.msg"
       - "slurp_no_args is not changed"
+
+# Ensure unreadable file and directory handling and error messages
+# https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/67340
+- import_tasks: 'test_unreadable.yml'
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/slurp/tasks/test_unreadable.yml b/test/integration/targets/slurp/tasks/test_unreadable.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..12a8e5c844e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/slurp/tasks/test_unreadable.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+- name: create test user
+  user:
+    name: "{{ become_test_user }}"
+    create_home: yes
+  notify:
+    - "remove test user and their home dir"
+
+- name: create unreadable file
+  copy:
+    content: "Hello, World!"
+    dest: /tmp/qux.txt
+    mode: 0600
+    owner: root
+
+- name: test slurp unreadable file
+  slurp:
+    src: '/tmp/qux.txt'
+  register: slurp_unreadable_file
+  become: true
+  become_user: "{{ become_test_user }}"
+  become_method: su
+  ignore_errors: true
+
+- name: check slurp unreadable file result
+  assert:
+    that:
+      - "slurp_unreadable_file is failed"
+      - "slurp_unreadable_file.msg is regex('^file is not readable:')"
+      - "slurp_unreadable_file is not changed"
+
+- name: create unreadable directory
+  file:
+    path: /tmp/test_data
+    state: directory
+    mode: 0700
+    owner: root
+
+- name: test slurp unreadable directory
+  slurp:
+    src: /tmp/test_data
+  register: slurp_unreadable_dir
+  become: true
+  become_user: "{{ become_test_user }}"
+  become_method: su
+  ignore_errors: true
+
+- name: check slurp unreadable directory result
+  assert:
+    that:
+      - "slurp_unreadable_dir is failed"
+      - "slurp_unreadable_dir.msg is regex('^file is not readable:')"
+      - "slurp_unreadable_dir is not changed"