אָסוּר לְסַפֵּר עַל חֲבֵרוֹ, אֲפִלּוּ שֶׁלֹּא בְּפָנָיו, וְהוּא אֱמֶת, דָּבָר שֶׁיִּתְבַּזֶּה עַל יְדֵי זֶה, וְלָא מִבָּעֵי {ואין צריך לומר} בִּדְבָרִים שֶׁל גְּנַאי בְּעָלְמָא, כְּגוֹן (א) לִזְכֹּר עָלָיו מַעֲשֵׂה אֲבוֹתָיו וּקְרוֹבָיו אוֹ לִזְכֹּר עָלָיו מַעֲשָׂיו הָרִאשׁוֹנִים, בֵּין שֶׁהָיוּ (ב) דְּבָרִים שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לַמָּקוֹם אוֹ (ג) דְּבָרִים שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהוּא מִתְנַהֵג עַתָּה כַּשּׁוּרָה, אָסוּר לְגַנּוֹתוֹ בָּזֶה וְלָשׁוֹן הָרָע מִקְּרֵי. אֶלָּא אֲפִלּוּ אִם רָאָהוּ זֶה מִקָּרוֹב בֵּינוֹ לְבֵין עַצְּמוֹ, (ד) שֶׁעָשָׂה דָּבָר שֶׁאֵין רָאוּי עַל פִּי הַדִּין, וְהוּא מֵהַדְּבָרִים שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לַמָּקוֹם, (דְּבִדְבָרִים שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ, יֵשׁ בָּזֶה חִלּוּקִים רַבִּים, וּנְבָאֵר אִם יִרְצֶּה ה' לְקַמָּן בִּכְלָל י'), גַּם כֵּן אָסוּר לְגַנּוֹתוֹ בָּזֶה, אֲפִלּוּ שֶׁלֹּא בְּפָנָיו, אִם לֹא עַל פִּי הַפְּרָטִים הַמְבֹאָרִים לְקַמָּן בְּסָעִיף ז' *.
It is forbidden to speak against one's friend — even if not to his face and even if it be true — something that will shame him. And not only demeaning things in general, such as mentioning about him the [negative] deeds of his fathers and his relatives, or his early deeds, both those between him and his Maker and [those between] him and his neighbor; for since he now conducts himself correctly it is forbidden to demean him with this and it is called lashon hara. — But even if he saw him of late doing something unbefitting according to the din, one of the things between man and his Maker (for in those things between man and his neighbor there are many distinctions, which we will explain, the L–rd willing, below in Principle X), it is also forbidden to demean him with this, even not before his face, if not in accordance with the qualifications explained below in section 7.