5 When I, Solomon, heard this, I entered the Temple of God and prayed intensely, day and night, that the demon might be delivered into my hands and that I might gain authority over him. Through my prayers, Michael, the archangel, granted me favor from the Lord of Hosts. He brought me a small ring with an engraved stone seal on it, telling me, 'Take, O Solomon, king, son of David, this gift from the Lord God, the Most High Lord of Hosts. With this ring, you shall bind all the demons of the earth, both male and female; with their help, you will rebuild Jerusalem. You must wear this seal of God. The engraving on this ring’s seal is a Pentalpha.' 6 I, Solomon, was overjoyed and praised and glorified the God of heaven and earth. The next day, I called the boy, gave him the ring, and said, 'Take this ring, and at the hour the demon comes to you, throw this ring at the demon’s chest and say, "King Solomon summons you here in the name of God." Then run to me without fear or hesitation about anything you hear from the demon.'

Solomon said to them: Where is it found? They said to him: Bring a male demon and a female demon and torment them together. It is possible that they know where, and due to the suffering they will reveal the place to you. Solomon brought a male demon and a female demon and tormented them together, and they said: We do not know where to find the shamir. Perhaps Ashmedai, king of the demons, knows. Solomon said to them: Where is Ashmedai? They said to him: He is on such-and-such a mountain. He has dug a pit for himself there, and filled it with water, and covered it with a rock, and sealed it with his seal. And every day he ascends to Heaven and studies in the heavenly study hall and he descends to the earth and studies in the earthly study hall. And he comes and checks his seal to ensure that nobody has entered his pit, and then he uncovers it and drinks from the water in the pit. And then he covers it and seals it again and goes. Solomon sent for Benayahu, son of Jehoiada, a member of the royal entourage, and gave him a chain onto which a sacred name of God was carved, and a ring onto which a sacred name of God was carved, and fleeces of wool and wineskins of wine. What did Benayahu do? He went and dug a pit lower down the mountain, below the pit dug by Ashmedai, drained the water, and plugged it with the fleeces of wool so that Ashmedai’s pit was emptied. And he dug a pit higher up the mountain, above Ashmedai’s pit. And he poured the wine into it so that the wine filled Ashmedai’s pit, and he plugged the lower and upper pits that he dug. He climbed up and sat in a tree.