(ד) וְדָבָר פָּשׁוּט הוּא, כִּי כְּשֶׁיַּרְגִּיל עַצְמוֹ לִהְיוֹת זָהִיר בִּלְשׁוֹנוֹ שֶׁלֹּא לְסַפֵּר לְעוֹלָם בִּגְנוּת חֲבֵרוֹ, אֲפִלּוּ אִם לֹא יִגְרֹם לוֹ הֶזֵּק בָּזֶה, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן מִלִּגְרֹם לוֹ שֶׁיְּאַבֵּד מִחְיָתוֹ עַל יְדֵי זֶה וְגַם שֶׁלֹּא לְהַלְבִּין פָּנָיו עַל יְדֵי דִּבּוּרָיו הָרָעִים וְגַם מִלְּהַחְזִיק בְּמַחֲלֹקֶת עַל יְדֵי סִפּוּרָיו, שֶׁכָּל זֶה הוּא רַע בַּלָּשׁוֹן, וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה שְׁאָרֵי לָאוִין וַעֲשִׂין שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּעִנְיָנִים אֵלּוּ, וְכַנַּ"ל בַּפְּתִיחָה, בְּוַדַּאי יִזָּהֵר בְּעַצְמוֹ מִמֵּילָא מִגֶּזֶל וּגְנֵבָה גַּם כֵּן, כִּי הֲלֹא כְּבָר קַבֵּל עַל עַצְמוֹ לִהְיוֹת זָהִיר, אֲפִלּוּ שֶׁלֹּא לִגְרֹם לוֹ שׁוּם רֵעוּתָא וּגְנוּת עַל יְדֵי דִּבּוּרוֹ וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן בְּפֹעַל מַמָּשׁ, וְאִם כֵּן בְּהֶרְחֵב הַזְּמַן יִהְיֶה נָקַי מִכָּל הָעֲוֹנוֹת שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ.
(4) And this stands to reason. For when one habituates himself to be careful with his tongue, never to speak demeaningly of his friend, even if he causes him no harm; how much more so will he be careful not to cause him to lose his livelihood thereby, and also not to "whiten his face" with his evil talk, and also not to foment strife through his tales, all this being "evil" in the tongue, and the same with similar negative and positive commandments, as mentioned in the introduction. He certainly will also be watchful in the area of robbery and theft. For has he not already taken it upon himself to be watchful even not to cause him any harm or to demean him by his speech? How much more so [will he not harm him] actively. And if so, in the long run, he will be clean of all the sins between man and neighbor.