20 She will never be inhabited

or lived in through all generations;

there no nomads will pitch their tents,

there no shepherds will rest their flocks.

21 But desert creatures will lie there,

jackals will fill her houses;

there the owls will dwell,

and there the wild goats will leap about.

22 Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds,

jackals her luxurious palaces.

Her time is at hand,

and her days will not be prolonged.

20 It will never be inhabited

or lived in for all generations;

no Arab will pitch his tent there;

no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.

21 But wild animals will lie down there,

and their houses will be full of howling creatures;

there ostriches will dwell,

and there wild goats will dance.

22 Hyenas will cry in its towers,

and jackals in the pleasant palaces;

its time is close at hand

and its days will not be prolonged.

20 Babylon will never be inhabited again.

It will remain empty for generation after generation.

Nomads will refuse to camp there,

and shepherds will not bed down their sheep.

21 Desert animals will move into the ruined city,

and the houses will be haunted by howling creatures.

Owls will live among the ruins,

and wild goats will go there to dance.

22 Hyenas will howl in its fortresses,

and jackals will make dens in its luxurious palaces.

Babylon’s days are numbered;

its time of destruction will soon arrive.

20 It will never be inhabited,

Nor will it be settled from generation to generation;

Nor will the Arabian pitch tents there,

Nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there.

21 But wild beasts of the desert will lie there,

And their houses will be full of owls;

Ostriches will dwell there,

And wild goats will caper there.

22 The hyenas will howl in their citadels,

And jackals in their pleasant palaces.

Her time is near to come,

And her days will not be prolonged.”

20 No one will ever live there

or settle there again.

No Arab will put a tent there;

no shepherd will bring sheep there.

21 Only desert animals will live there,

and their houses will be full of wild dogs.

Owls will live there,

and wild goats will leap about in the houses.

22 Wolves will howl within the strong walls,

and wild dogs will bark in the beautiful buildings.

The end of Babylon is near;

its time is almost over.”

20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall shepherds make their flocks to lie down there. 21 But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and ostriches shall dwell there, and wild goats shall dance there. 22 And wolves shall cry in their castles, and jackals in the pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.

20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in, even to generation and generation; nor shall Arabian pitch tent there, nor shepherds make fold there. 21 But beasts of the desert shall lie there, and their houses shall be full of owls; and ostriches shall dwell there, and wild goats shall dance there. 22 And jackals shall cry to one another in their palaces, and wild dogs in the pleasant castles. And her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.

20 It will never be inhabited again, 

and no one will live in it for generations. 

Arabs won’t pitch their tents there. 

Shepherds won’t let their flocks rest there. 

21 Desert animals will lie down there. 

Their homes will be full of owls. 

Ostriches will live there, 

and wild goats will skip about. 

22 Hyenas will howl in Babylon’s strongholds, 

and jackals will howl in its luxurious palaces. 

Its time has almost come. 

Its days will not be extended. 

20 It will never be inhabited

or lived in from generation to generation;

a nomad will not pitch his tent there,

and shepherds will not let their flocks rest there.

21 But desert creatures will lie down there,

and owls will fill the houses.

Ostriches will dwell there,

and wild goats will leap about.

22 Hyenas will howl in the fortresses,

and jackals, in the luxurious palaces.

Babylon’s time is almost up;

her days are almost over.

20 It will never be inhabited

or lived in for all generations;

Arabs will not pitch their tents there,

shepherds will not make their flocks lie down there.

21 But wild animals will lie down there,

and its houses will be full of howling creatures;

there ostriches will live,

and there goat-demons will dance.

22 Hyenas will cry in its towers,

and jackals in the pleasant palaces;

its time is close at hand,

and its days will not be prolonged.

20 It will not be inhabited forever,

and it will not be dwelled in forever;

and no Arab will pitch a tent there,

and shepherds will not allow their flocks to lie down there.

21 But wild animals will lie down there,

and their houses will be full of howling creatures,

and the daughters of ostriches will live there,

and goats will dance there.

22 And hyenas will answer in its palaces,

and jackals in the pleasure palaces;

and its time is coming soon,

and its days will not be prolonged.

20 No one will ever live in Babylon again.

No one will live there for all time to come.

Arabs will never set up their tents there.

Shepherds will never rest their flocks there.

21 But desert creatures will lie down there.

Wild dogs will fill its houses.

Owls will live there.

Wild goats will jump around in it.

22 Hyenas will cry out in its forts.

Wild dogs will bark in its beautiful palaces.

The time for Babylon to be punished is near.

Its days are numbered.

20 It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation;

Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there,

Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.

21 But desert creatures will lie down there,

And their houses will be full of owls;

Ostriches also will live there, and shaggy goats will frolic there.

22 Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers

And jackals in their luxurious palaces.

Her fateful time also will soon come

And her days will not be prolonged.