The biblical King Solomon imprisoned two demons to force them to reveal the location of the Shamir, a creature that could cut any material. With the help of his minister of war, Benayahu, Solomon eventually captured the king of demons, Ashmadai, by using a chain with the 72-letter name of God. Ashmadai revealed that Shamir was guarded by a bird and gave Solomon a tip on how to capture it. However, Ashmadai later tricked Solomon by pretending to be him, taking the ring with the name of God, and throwing Solomon out of the castle. Ashmadai impersonated Solomon and committed sins in his name, but Solomon eventually regained his throne with the help of a new ring and chain. Throughout his life, Solomon remained fearful of Ashmadai, as mentioned in the Song of Songs, and some commentators believe that Ashmadai's impersonation of Solomon was the cause of Solomon's alleged idolatry and wrongdoings.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. King Solomon was in his fourth year of reign when he decided to build the Great Temple of Jerusalem.
2. According to the book of Exodus, iron could not be used to build the tabernacle or the Great Temple of Jerusalem.
3. King Solomon faced a problem in building the temple without using iron to cut stones.
4. Moses had a similar problem when making the breastplate, and God revealed the existence of a creature called Shamir that could cut any material.
5. Shamir is a species of insect capable of cutting any material and eating what it has cut.
6. King Solomon remembered the story of Moses and Shamir and decided to find Shamir to build the temple.
7. The wise men of the court suggested that King Solomon imprison demons to force them to reveal where Shamir was.
8. King Solomon imprisoned two demons, but they did not know where Shamir was.
9. The king of demons, Ashmadai, knew where Shamir was, but he was very powerful and dangerous.
10. Demons are a species of spiritual creatures created by God with only two elements: fire and air.
11. Demons were created to carry out missions and are also called Seirim in the Bible.
12. It is forbidden to offer sacrifices and offerings to demons.
13. The 72-letter name of God is a powerful tool that can control demons.
14. King Solomon sent his minister of war, Benayahu, to capture Ashmadai, the king of demons.
15. Benayahu used a chain with the 72-letter name of God to capture Ashmadai.
16. Ashmadai was taken to King Solomon, who asked him about Shamir.
17. Ashmadai revealed that Shamir was guarded by a kind of bird and gave King Solomon a tip on how to imprison it.
18. King Solomon kept Ashmadai imprisoned during the construction of the Great Temple.
19. Ashmadai was eventually freed when King Solomon took off the chain with the 72-letter name of God.
20. Ashmadai took the ring with the name of God from King Solomon's finger and swallowed it, allowing him to escape.
21. Ashmadai impersonated King Solomon and took over the castle.
22. The real King Solomon tried to get his way back but was not recognized by his people.
23. The wise men of the great assembly investigated and gave King Solomon a new ring with God's name on it.
24. King Solomon returned to the castle and Ashmadai escaped.
Note: Some of the facts are based on biblical stories and may not be historically verifiable.