Isaiah 13:20–22

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.

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.

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.

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.

But desert creatures will lie there,

jackals will fill her houses;

there the owls will dwell,

and there the wild goats will leap about.

Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds,

jackals her luxurious palaces.

Her time is at hand,

and her days will not be prolonged.

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.

But desert creatures will lie down there,

and owls will fill the houses.

Ostriches will dwell there,

and wild goats will leap about.

Hyenas will howl in the fortresses,

and jackals, in the luxurious palaces.

Babylon’s time is almost up;

her days are almost over.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

It shall never be inhabited,

Neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation:

Neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there;

Neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.

But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there;

And their houses shall be full of doleful creatures;

And owls shall dwell there,

And satyrs shall dance there.

And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses,

And dragons in their pleasant palaces:

And her time is near to come,

And her days shall not be prolonged.