"If a man makes an excuse to his bother and he does not accept it, he will bear a burden of sin like that of the tax-collector."

A hadith similar to the above has been narrated through a chain differing from the first at the 4th level of narrators.
Sunan Ibn Majah Book 33, Hadith 62
← Previous Hadith "When one of you gets up from his spot, then comes back, he has more right to it."

Sunan Ibn Majah Book 33, Hadith 61 Next Hadith → "Abu Bakr went out to trade in Busra, one year before the Prophet (ﷺ) died, and with him were Nu`aiman and Suwaibit the sons of Harmalah, who had been present at Badr. Nu`aiman was in charge of the provisions, and Suwaibit was a man who joked a lot. He said to Nu`aiman: 'Feed me'. He said: 'Not until Abu Bakr comes'. He said: 'Then I will have to annoy you'. Then they passed by some people, and Suwaibit said to them: 'Will you buy a slave from me?' They said: 'Yes'. He said 'He is a slave who talks a lot and he will tell you, "I am a free man". If you are going to let him go when he says that to you, do not bother buying him.' They said: 'We will buy him from you.' So they bought him from him in return for ten young she-camels, then they brought him and tied a turban or a rope around his neck. Nu`aiman said: 'This man is making fun of you. I am a free man, not a slave.' They said: 'He has already told us about you; and they took him off.' Then Abu Bakr came and he (Suwaibit) told him about that. So he followed those people and returned their camels to them, and took Nu`aiman back. When they came to the Prophet (ﷺ) they told him what had happened, and the Prophet (ﷺ) and his companions laughed about it for a year."

Sunan Ibn Majah Book 33, Hadith 63