Just as it is forbidden to accept lashon hara if he heard it from one, the din is the same even if he heard it from two or more. And this applies not only when they [the speakers] are rendered "evildoers" by their speaking in which instance they are certainly not to be believed (for even according to their words that Ploni acted improperly, they have transgressed "You shall not go about talebearing," which applies even to [tales] that are true, in which instance they themselves are evildoers, so how, then, can we believe them about this Jew, whose status until now was one of absolute kashruth? For he who is suspected of having transgressed the negative commandment against lashon hara is [also] suspected of lying, fabricating, and adding. And what of it if they are two? Even if they were many more, "a band of evildoers are not of the count" [of kosher Jews]!) — but even if what they say about him is not something for which they are branded "evildoers" if the truth is with them, even so, it is forbidden to accept their words and to believe them implicitly; for, even if they are two or more, the title "witnesses" can be ascribed only to those who testify in beth-din, but not to those who testify outside of beth-din, who, even if they speak falsely, are not called "false witnesses," but "spreaders of an evil name" alone. All this, as far as belief is concerned, but to suspect is permitted, even if he heard it from one alone.
כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאָסוּר לְקַּבֵּל לָשׁוֹן הָרָע, אִם שָׁמַע מֵאֶחָד, כֵּן הַדִּין, (ד) אֲפִלּוּ אִם שָׁמַע מִשְּׁנַיִם אוֹ יוֹתֵר, וְלָא מִבָּעֵי {ואין צריך לומר} בַּדָּבָר, (ה) שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ רְשָׁעִים עַל יְדֵי סִפּוּרָם, בְּוַדַּאי אֵין לְהַאֲמִינָם, אִם סִפְּרוּ לוֹ, כֵּיוָן דַּאֲפִלּוּ לְפִי דִּבְרֵיהֶן, שֶׁפְּלוֹנִי עָשָׂה שֶׁלֹּא כַּהֹגֶן, עָבְרוּ עַל לָאו דְּ"לֹא תֵלֵךְ רָכִיל", שֶׁהוּא אֲפִלּוּ עַל אֱמֶת, אִם כֵּן רְשָׁעִים הֵם, אֵיךְ נַאֲמִינָם עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל זֶה, שֶׁהוּא בְּחֶזְקַת כָּשֵׁר גָּמוּר לְעֵת עַתָּה? דְּהַחָשׁוּד עַל לָאו דְּלָשׁוֹן הָרָע, חָשׁוּד לְשַׁקֵּר וּלְהַחְלִיף וּלְהוֹסִיף, וּמַה בְּכָךְ שֶׁהֵם תְּרֵי, אֲפִלּוּ הַרְבֵּה יוֹתֵר, קֶשֶׁר רְשָׁעִים אֵין מִן הַמִּנְיָן, אֶלָּא אֲפִלּוּ אִם הוּא דָּבָר, שֶׁאֵין נַעֲשִׂין רְשָׁעִים עַל יְדֵי סִפּוּרָם, אִם הָאֱמֶת אִתָּם, אֲפִלּוּ הָכֵי (ו) אָסוּר לְקַבֵּל דִּבְרֵיהֶם (ז) וּלְהַאֲמִינָם בְּהַחְלָטָה, דְּאֵין חָל שֵׁם עֵדוּת, אֲפִלּוּ עַל שְׁנַיִם וְיוֹתֵר, אֶלָּא בְּבֵית דִּין, אֲבָל חוּץ לְבֵית דִּין לֹא, דַּאֲפִלּוּ אִם יֹאמְרוּ שֶׁקֶר, אֵינָם נִקרָאִים עֵדֵי שֶׁקֶר, כִּי אִם מוֹצִיא שֵׁם רָע בְּעָלְמָא, וכִדְאִיתָא, בּסֵפֶר מִצות קָּטָן לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה רל"ה}, וְכָל זֶה לְהַחְלִיט, אֲבָל לָחוּשׁ מֻתָּר, אֲפִלּוּ אִם לֹא שָׁמַע רַק מֵאֶחָד וְכַנַּ"ל.
Just as it is forbidden to accept lashon hara if he heard it from one, the din is the same even if he heard it from two or more. And this applies not only when they [the speakers] are rendered "evildoers" by their speaking in which instance they are certainly not to be believed (for even according to their words that Ploni acted improperly, they have transgressed "You shall not go about talebearing," which applies even to [tales] that are true, in which instance they themselves are evildoers, so how, then, can we believe them about this Jew, whose status until now was one of absolute kashruth? For he who is suspected of having transgressed the negative commandment against lashon hara is [also] suspected of lying, fabricating, and adding. And what of it if they are two? Even if they were many more, "a band of evildoers are not of the count" [of kosher Jews]!) — but even if what they say about him is not something for which they are branded "evildoers" if the truth is with them, even so, it is forbidden to accept their words and to believe them implicitly; for, even if they are two or more, the title "witnesses" can be ascribed only to those who testify in beth-din, but not to those who testify outside of beth-din, who, even if they speak falsely, are not called "false witnesses," but "spreaders of an evil name" alone. All this, as far as belief is concerned, but to suspect is permitted, even if he heard it from one alone.