Isaiah 13:20

¹⁸ Their bows will dash young men to pieces; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; they will not look with pity on the children.

¹⁹ And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms, the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.

She will never be inhabited or settled from generation to generation; no nomad will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flock there.

²¹ But desert creatures will lie down there, and howling creatures will fill her houses. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will leap about.

²² Hyenas will howl in her fortresses and jackals in her luxurious palaces. Babylon’s time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: She will never be inhabited or settled from generation to generation; no nomad will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flock there.
KJV: 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.
WEB: It will never be inhabited, neither will it be lived in from generation to generation. The Arabian will not pitch a tent there, neither will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.
ASV: 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.
DARBY: 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.
BLB: She wil not be dwelt in to eternity, she wil not be dwelt in for generation and generation, and no Arab or shepherds will pitch a tent; there they will not make flocks rest there.

ÅB: Det skal aldri mere reise seg igjen, og ingen skal bo der fra slekt til slekt; ingen araber skal slå opp sitt telt der, og ingen hyrde la sin flokk hvile der.
OTB: Det vil aldri bli bebodd eller levd i gjennom alle generasjoner; ingen araber vil slå opp sitt telt der, ingen gjetere vil la sine flokker hvile der.
B1930: Det skal aldri mere reise sig igjen, og ingen skal bo der fra slekt til slekt; ingen araber skal slå op sitt telt der, og ingen hyrde la sin hjord hvile der.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Jeremiah 51:43
Her cities have become a desolation, a dry and arid land, a land where no one lives, where no son of man passes through.
Read in context
Isaiah 14:23
“I will make her a place for owls and for swamplands; I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of Hosts.
Read in context
Jeremiah 50:45
Therefore hear the plans that the LORD has drawn up against Babylon and the strategies He has devised against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the little ones of the flock will be dragged away; certainly their pasture will be made desolate because of them.
Read in context
2 Chronicles 17:11
Some Philistines also brought gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat, and the Arabs brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats from their flocks.
Read in context
Jeremiah 50:3
For a nation from the north will come against her; it will make her land a desolation. No one will live in it; both man and beast will flee.”
Read in context
Jeremiah 51:29
The earth quakes and writhes because the LORD’s intentions against Babylon stand: to make the land of Babylon a desolation, without inhabitant.
Read in context
Jeremiah 50:21
Go up against the land of Merathaim, and against the residents of Pekod. Kill them and devote them to destruction. Do all that I have commanded you,” declares the LORD.
Read in context
Jeremiah 51:25
“Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, you who devastate the whole earth, declares the LORD. I will stretch out My hand against you; I will roll you over the cliffs and turn you into a charred mountain.
Read in context