¹⁷ How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.”^(A)

¹² But the man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels^[a] were weighed out into my hands, I would not lay a hand on the king’s son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.^[b]’

³¹ My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before^(A) you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy^(B) for unjust gain.^(C)

⁵ But be very careful to keep the commandment^(A) and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord^(B) your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands,^(C) to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.^(D)”

⁶⁰ He will bring on you all the diseases of Egypt^(A) that you dreaded, and they will cling to you.

²⁷ Naaman’s leprosy^(A) will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi^(B) went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.^(C)