זוהר, פנחס קי״בZohar, Pinchas 112

Segment 1א׳

קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מַאי עָבִיד מֵהַהוּא דּוֹרוֹנָא. לְמַלְכָּא דְּאָכִיל עַל פָּתוֹרָא. דְּקַרְבִין עַל פָּתוֹרֵיהּ מִכָּל מִין וָמִין, סֹלֶת, וּבֵינוֹנִי, וּפְסוֹלֶת. וְאִיהוּ פָּלִיג מִפָּתוֹרֵיהּ, לְכָל מָארֵי סְעוּדָתָא, לְכָל חַד כַּדְּקָא יָאוּת, עַל יְדֵי מְמָנָן דִּילֵיהּ. וּמֵהַהוּא נַהֲמָא, דְּאִיהוּ סֹלֶת, דְּמַלְכָּא אָכִיל, אִיהוּ מָנֵי לְמֵיהַב לְאִינּוּן דִּרְחִימִין גַּבֵּיהּ. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, אֶת קָרְבָּנִי לַחְמִי לְאִשַּׁי רֵיחַ נִחוֹחִי. דְּהַיְינוּ (דברים י״ח:א׳) אִשֵּׁי יְיָ וְנַחֲלָתוֹ יאכֵלוּן (ודא הוא ההוא דאתמר ביה (משלי ט׳:ה׳) לכו לחמו בלחמי ושתו ביין מסכתי.) הַאי אִיהוּ מִסִּטְרָא דְּאִילָנָא דְּחַיִּי. אֲבָל מִסִּטְרָא דְּעֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע, מַנִי לְמֵיהַב בֵּינוֹנִי, לְמַלְאָכִים. וּפְסוֹלֶת לַשֵּׁדִין וּמַזִּיקִין, דְּאִינּוּן מְשַׁמְּשִׁין לְסוּסְוָון וּלְפָרַשְׁיָין דְּמַלְכָּא.

What does the Holy One, blessed be He, do with that gift? It is like a king who eats at a table, to whose table they bring of every kind: fine flour, and middling, and refuse. And he distributes from his table to all those at the meal, to each one as is fitting, through his appointed officers. And of that bread which is fine flour, which the king eats, he appoints it to be given to those who are beloved of him. This is what is written, “My offering, My bread for My fire-offerings, of a sweet savour to Me” — that is, “They shall eat the fire-offerings of the Lord, and His inheritance” (Deut. 18, 1) (a variant adds: And this is that of which it is said, “Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled” (Prov. 9, 5).) This is from the side of the tree of life. But from the side of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he appoints the middling to be given to the angels, and the refuse to the demons and evil spirits, who serve the King's horses and horsemen.

Segment 2ב׳

וְאוֹף הָכִי דְּפָרָשִׁין דְּמַלְכָּא, הֲווֹ מָארֵי מִשְׁנָה, דְּאִינּוּן כְּמַלְאָכִים. מְשַׁמְּשִׁין לוֹן שֵׁדִים יְהוּדָאֵי, דְּאִינּוּן רְשִׁימִין בְּאוֹת שַׁדַּי, (ס"א באות י') וְאִית שֵׁדִּין וּמַזִּיקִין מִסִּטְרָא דִּמְסָאֳבוּ, דְּאִתְקְרִיאוּ שֵׁדִים עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת. (קהלת ז׳:י״ד) וְזֶה לְעוּמַת זֶה עָשָׂה הָאֱלֹהִים.

And so too, the King's horsemen are the sages of the Mishnah, who are like angels. Jewish demons serve them, who are marked with the sign of Shaddai (a variant reads: with the letter Yod). And there are demons and evil spirits from the side of uncleanness, which are called idolatrous demons. “God has made the one as well as the other” (Eccl. 7, 14).

Segment 3ג׳

וּבְגִין דָּא אָמְרוּ מָארֵי מַתְנִיתִין, דְּאִינּוּן ג' מִינִין מִינַּיְיהוּ, חַד מִין דִּלְהוֹן כְּמַלְאָכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת. וּמִין תִּנְיָינָא, כִּבְנֵי אָדָם. וּמִין תְּלִיתָאי, כִּבְעִירָן. וְאִית בְּהוֹן חַכִּימִין בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא דְּבִכְתָב וְדִבְעַל פֶּה. אִתְקְרֵי יוֹסֵף שִׁידָא, עַל שֵׁם דְּאוֹלִיד לֵיהּ שֵׁד. וְלָאו לְמַגָּנָא אָמְרוּ מָארֵי מַתְנִיתִין, אִם הָרַב דּוֹמֶה לְמַלְאַךְ יְיָ צְּבָאוֹת תּוֹרָה יְבַקְשׁוּ מִפִּיהוּ. וְאַשְׁמְדָאי מַלְכָּא, הוּא וְכָל מִשְׁפַּחְתֵּיהּ, הָא אוֹקִימְנָא דְּאִינּוּן שֵׁדִּין יְהוּדָאִין, דְּאִתְכַּפְיָין בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וּבִשְׁמָהָן דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא.

And for this reason the sages of the Mishnah said that there are three kinds of them: one kind of them like the ministering angels; the second kind like men; and the third kind like beasts. And there are among them sages in the Written Torah and in the Oral Torah. Joseph was called Sheida, because a demon (shed) begot him. And not for nothing did the sages of the Mishnah say: If the master is like an angel of the Lord of hosts, let them seek the Torah from his mouth. And Ashmedai the king, he and all his family — behold, we have explained that they are Jewish demons, who are subdued by the Torah and by the names of the Torah.