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Isaiah 13:20
ESV 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.
NIV 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.
NASB It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will shepherds allow their flocks to lie down there.
CSB 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.
NLT 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.
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.
NKJV 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.

What does Isaiah 13:20 mean?

Isaiah has been describing the destruction that will fall on the proud city-state of Babylon when the "day of the Lord" comes for them (Isaiah 13:6; Ezekiel 30:3; Joel 1:15). The city will be attacked, invaded, and the people utterly wiped out. The destruction will be well-earned, but nevertheless cruel, and without mercy (Isaiah 13:19).

This prophecy adds that the city will not be inhabited for all generations. Some scholars suggest that the language here should be read as "many generations." It either case, the city as it was known would no longer exist as a place to live. The dream of Babylon would be dramatically and traumatically ended by the hand of the Lord. The false glory and power of the city would be snuffed out forever.

Isaiah adds that even the wandering nomads, described as "Arabs" in some translations, will not settle in the ruins of Babylon. Shepherds will also not shelter their flocks there for the night. The city will eventually become unfit for human occupation of any kind. Instead, this former showcase for human glory will return to a place for the wild glory of God's animal creation to dwell in (Isaiah 13:21–22).
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