Two angels told God not to create humanity. When the generation of the flood proved them right, Shemhazai and Azael stood before God and reminded Him: "Did we not say, 'Do not create man'?" God answered with a challenge. "If you lived on earth, the evil inclination would sway you just as it sways humans. And you would be even more stubborn." The angels insisted. "Let us descend, and You will see how we sanctify Your name." According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle translated by Moses Gaster in 1899, God let them go.
They failed immediately. The moment Shemhazai and Azael beheld the daughters of men, they could not restrain themselves. But one woman outsmarted them. A girl named Estirah refused Shemhazai unless he taught her the Ineffable Name of God. He did. She spoke the Name and ascended straight to heaven. God said, "Since she has departed from sin, set her among the stars." She became the brightest star in the Pleiades.
After that humiliation, both angels took wives and fathered children. Shemhazai's sons, Heyya and Aheyya, were giants, each consumed a thousand camels, a thousand horses, and a thousand oxen daily. Azael became chief over all cosmetics and ornaments used to entice men to sin. When God sent Metatron to warn Shemhazai that a flood was coming, Shemhazai wept for his children.
His sons dreamed prophetic dreams. One saw a great stone tablet covered in writing, and an angel descended to erase everything except one line with four words. The other saw a garden of trees, and an angel chopped them all down except one tree with three branches. Shemhazai interpreted both: the world would be destroyed, leaving only one man and his three sons. He comforted his children with a strange promise, their names would live forever, because whenever people lift heavy burdens, they groan "Heyya! Aheyya!" Shemhazai himself repented and hung suspended between heaven and earth, head downward, too ashamed to face God. Azael never repented. He became the Azazel of the Day of Atonement, the one onto whom Israel's sins were cast.
XXV. (1) E. Joseph was once asked what was the story
of Shemhazai and Azael, and he replied, ' When the
generation of Enosh arose and worshipped idols, and when
the generation of the flood arose and went astray, God was
grieved that He had created man, as it is said, "And the
Lord repented that He had made man, and He was grieved
at heart." (2) Then two angels, whose names were
Shemhazai and 'Azael, appeared before God, and said, " 0
Lord of the universe, did we not say unto Thee when Thou
didst create Thy world, ' Do not create man '?" as it is said,
"What is man, that Thou shouldst remember him?"
" Then what shall become of the world?" said God. They
replied, " We will occupy ourselves with it." (3) God said,
" It is revealed and well known to Me that if perad-
venture you had lived in that earthly world, the evil
inclination would have swayed you just as much as it
rules over the sons of man, but you would be more
stubborn than they." " Give us Thy sanction, then, and
let us descend among the creatures, and then Thou shalt
see how we shall sanctify Thy name." "Descend," spake
the Lord, ''and dwell ye among them." Forthwith He
allowed the evil inclination to sway them. (4) As soon as
they descended and beheld the daughters of man that they
were beautiful, they began to disport themselves with
them, as it is said, "When the sons of Elohim saw the
daughters of man," they could not restrain their inclination.
(5) Shemhazai beheld a girl whose name was Estirah
(nn^DD\s*). When he beheld her, he said, "Listen to my
request." But she replied, " I will not listen to thee until
thou teachest me the name by the mention of which thou
art enabled to ascend to heaven." He forthwith taught her
the Ineffable Name. (6) She then uttered the Lieffable
Name and thereby ascended to heaven. God said, " Since
she has departed from sin, go and set her among the
stars " — it is she who shines brightly in the midst of the
seven stars of Pleiades; for that she may always be remem-
bered God fixed her among the Pleiades. (7) When
Shemhazai and 'Azael saw this they took to them wives,
and begat children. The former begat two children, whose
names were Heyya (^V.n), and Aheyya (J^VnN). And'Azael
was appointed chief over all the dyes, and over all kinds
of ornaments by which women entice men to thoughts of
sin.
(8) ' God then sent Metatron a messenger to Shemhazai,
and said to him, " God will destroy His world, and bring
upon it a flood." Shemhazai then raised his voice and wept
aloud, for he was sorely troubled about his sons and his own
iniquity. " How shall my children live, and what shall they
eat, and if the world is destroyed what shall become of my
children, for each one of them eats 1,000 camels, 1,000
horses, and 1,000 oxen daily?" (9) One night the sons of
Shemhazai — Heyya and Aheyyah — dreamt dreams. One
54 [XXV. 10
dreamt that he saw a great stone spread over the earth like
a table, the whole of which was covered with writing.
An angel descended from heaven with a knife in his hand
and obliterated all the lines, save one line only with four
words upon it. (10) The other dreamt that he saw a lovely
garden, planted with all kinds of trees and beautiful things.
An angel descended from heaven with an axe in his hand,
and cut down all the trees, so that there remained only one
tree containing three branches. (11) When they awoke from
their sleep they were much confused, and, going to their
father, they related their dreams. He said to them, " God
is about to bring a flood upon the world, to destroy it, so
that there will remain but one man and his three sons."
They thereupon cried in anguish, and wept, saying, '' What
shall become of us, and how shall our names be per-
petuated?" "Do not trouble yourselves about your names.
Heyya and Aheyya will never cease from the mouths of
creatures, because every time that men raise heavy stones,
or ships, or any heavy load or burden, they will sigh and
call your names." With this his sons were satisfied
(quieted).
(12) ' Shemhazai repented and suspended himself
between heaven and earth, head downwards, because he
durst not appear before God, and he still hangs between
heaven and earth. (13) 'Azael, however, did not repent.
He is appointed over all kinds of dyes which entice man to
commit sin, and he still continues to sin. Therefore, when
the Israelites used to bring sacrifices on the day of atone-
ment, they cast one lot for the Lord that it might atone for
the iniquities of the Israelites, and one lot for Azael that
he might bear the burden of Israel's iniquity. This is the
'Azazel that is mentioned in the Scripture.'
