The Testament of Solomon

And I ordered another demon to be brought to me; and they brought to me Asmodeus, the evil demon, bound.

And I asked him, “Who are you?” And he, casting a threatening look, said, “Who are you?”

And I said to him, “Do you answer thus, having been punished?” And he, fixing the same gaze upon me, said, “How can I answer you? You are a son of man, and I am of an angel, and I was born through a daughter of man, so no arrogant word of a heavenly race to an earthly one.”

“My star dwells in heaven and humans call me the Great Bear, but others the serpent-footed one; for this reason, smaller stars accompany my star, for indeed the dignity and throne of my father are in heaven until today.”

“And do not ask me many things, Solomon, for your kingdom will be torn apart in due time, and this glory of yours is temporary, and you will have little time to torment us, and again we shall have pasture among humanity so that they worship us as gods, men not knowing the names of the angels appointed over us.”

And I, Solomon, having heard these things, bound him more carefully and ordered him to be beaten and to give an account of who he was called and what his work was.

The demon said, “I am called Asmodeus, renowned; I swell with evil against humans throughout the entire world. I am an enemy of newlyweds; I destroy the beauty of virgins and alter hearts.”

And I said to him, “Is this your only work?” And he said again, “Through the stars I spread female madness, and then into raging storms, and I have killed as many as seven.”

And so I adjured him by the name of the Lord Sabaoth: “Fear, Asmodeus, God and tell me by which angel you are rendered ineffective.” And the demon said, “Raphael, who stands before God; but he also pursues me with the liver and gall of a fish, smoked on charcoal embers.”

I asked him again, saying, “Do not hide a word from me, for I am Solomon, son of David, and tell me the name of the fish that you reverence.” And he said, “Its name is called glanis; it is found in the rivers of the Assyrians; for it alone is born there, because I also am found in those regions.”

And I say to him, “Nothing else from you, Asmodeus?” And he said to me, “The power of God, who bound me with indissoluble chains through his seal, knows that what I have told you is true. But I ask you, King Solomon, do not condemn me to water.”

And I, smiling, said, “As the Lord God of my fathers lives, you shall wear irons and make clay for all the furnishings of the temple, grinding the supplies of the village.” And I ordered ten pitchers to be made and for him to be drenched. And the demon, groaning terribly, performed what was commanded him. He did this because Asmodeus also possessed foreknowledge.

And I, Solomon, glorified God, who gave me this authority; and I kept Asmodeus burning the liver of the fish and the gall with a piece of white storax because he was powerful, and his voice was suppressed, and he was full of bitter teeth.