Therefore, when presenting your gift at the altar, if even there you remember that your brother has some grievance against you,

Leave your gift there, before the altar, go and be reconciled to your brother, first, then come and present your gift.

You say, too, 'If any one swears by the altar, his oath counts for nothing, but, if any one swears by the offering placed on it, his oath is binding on him'!

Blind indeed! Which is the more important? The offering? or the altar which gives sacredness to the offering?

Therefore a man, swearing by the altar, swears by it and by all that is on it,

in order that upon your heads may fall every drop of innocent 'blood split on earth,' from the blood of innocent Abel down to that of Zechariah, Barachiah's son, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar.