made this answer: "In yonder mount is his residence; there he
has dug a pit, and, after filling it with water, covered it over
with a stone, and sealed with his own seal. Daily he ascends to
heaven and studies in the school of wisdom there, then he comes
down and studies in the school of wisdom here; upon which he
goes and examines the seal, then opens the pit, and after
quenching his thirst, covers it up again, re-seals it, and takes
his departure."

Solomon thereupon sent Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, provided
with a magic chain and ring, upon both of which the name of God
was engraved. He also provided him with a fleece of wool and
sundry skins with wine. Then Benaiah went and sank a pit below
that of Ashmedai, into which he drained off the water and
plugged the duct between with the fleece. Then he set to and dug
another hole higher up with a channel leading into the emptied
pit of Ashmedia, by means of which the pit was filled with the
wine he had brought. After leveling the ground so as not to
rouse suspicion, he withdrew to a tree close by, so as to watch
the result and wait his opportunity. After a while Ashmedai
came, and examined the seal, when, seeing it all right, he
raised the stone, and to his surprise found wine in the pit. For
a time he stood muttering and saying, it is written, "Wine is a
mocker: strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived
thereby is not wise." And again, "Whoredom and wine and new wine
take away the heart." Therefore at first he was unwilling to
drink, but being thirsty, he could not long resist the
temptation. He proceeded to drink therefore, when, becoming
intoxicated, he lay down to sleep. Then Benaiah, came forth from
his ambush, and stealthily approaching, fastened the chain round
the sleeper's neck. Ashmedai, when he awoke, began to fret and
fume, and would have torn off the chain that bound him, had not
Benaiah warned him, saying, "The name of thy Lord is upon thee."
Having thus secured him, Benaiah proceeded to lead him away to
his sovereign master. As they journeyed along they came to a
palm-tree, against which Ashmedai rubbed himself, until he
uprooted it and threw it down. When they drew near to a hut, the
poor widow who inhabited it came out and entreated him not to
rub himself against it, upon which, as he suddenly be