Mishnayos Shevuos Perek 4 Mishnah 12
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שבועות פרק ד׳ משנה י"ב
If the plaintiff sent the demand for their testimony by means of his slave, or in a case where the defendant said to the witnesses: I administer an oath to you that if you know any testimony relevant to the plaintiff that you will come and testify on his behalf, and they took a false oath that they have no knowledge of the matter, these witnesses are exempt from liability for taking a false oath of testimony until they will hear the demand to testify directly from the mouth of the plaintiff.
שִׁלַּח בְּיַד עַבְדּוֹ, אוֹ שֶׁאָמַר לָהֶן הַנִּתְבָּע מַשְׁבִּיעַ אֲנִי עֲלֵיכֶם שֶׁאִם אַתֶּם יוֹדְעִין לוֹ עֵדוּת שֶׁתָּבֹאוּ וּתְעִידוּהוּ, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ פְטוּרִין עַד שֶׁיִּשְׁמְעוּ מִפִּי הַתּוֹבֵעַ:
Bartenura
עד שישמעו מפי התובע. דכתיב (שם) אם לוא יגיד, מלא בוי״ו ואל״ף. למדרש הכי, אם לו לא יגיד, כלומר לתובע, ונשא עונו, הא אם לאחר לא יגיד פטור:
עד שישמעו מפי התובע – as it is written (Leviticus 5:1): “he does not give information/"אם – לוא יגיד" [written] fully with a VAV and and ALEPH is expounded upon thusly: if to hi he will not tell, meaning to say, the plaintiff, "ונשא עונו"/”so that he is subject to punishment (Leviticus 5:1), but if he said it to another,-“ he does not give information,” he is exempt [from punishment].