Abraham did everything the angel commanded. He slaughtered the animals, divided them, and gave the portions to the angels who had appeared beside him. Iaoel took the birds. Abraham waited for the evening sacrifice.
Then an unclean bird swooped down upon the carcasses.
Abraham drove it away. But the bird spoke.
"What are you doing, Abraham, upon the holy Heights? No man eats or drinks here. There is no food for mortals in this place. These beings will consume everything with fire and burn you alive. Forsake the man who is with you and flee! If you ascend to the Heights, they will make an end of you."
Abraham turned to the angel. "What is this, my lord?"
"This is ungodliness," Iaoel said. "This is Azazel."
Then the angel addressed the fallen one directly, and his words were a sentence of cosmic judgment:
"Disgrace upon you, Azazel! Abraham's lot is in heaven, but yours is upon the earth. Because you chose and loved this world for the dwelling-place of your uncleanness, the Eternal Mighty Lord made you a dweller upon the earth. Through you comes every evil spirit of lies. Through you comes wrath and trials for the generations of ungodly men."
But God had drawn a line. "The Eternal Mighty One has not permitted the bodies of the righteous to be in your hand, so that the life of the righteous and the destruction of the unclean may be assured."
Iaoel's final words to Azazel were devastating: "Begone with shame from me. You cannot lead this man astray, because he is your enemy. The heavenly garment that was once yours has been set aside for him. And the mortality that was his has been transferred to you."
Azazel had traded his angelic glory for the earth. Abraham, the mortal idol-smasher, had inherited an angel's robe.