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Isaiah 13:22
ESV 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.
NIV Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds, jackals her luxurious palaces. Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.
NASB 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.
CSB Hyenas will howl in the fortresses, and jackals, in the luxurious palaces. Babylon’s time is almost up; her days are almost over.
NLT 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.
KJV 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.
NKJV 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.”

What does Isaiah 13:22 mean?

Looking ahead to what was then the future, Isaiah describes the end state of Babylon once the judgment of God has fallen. This sight is not pretty. The people of this once powerful and beautiful city will have been killed (Isaiah 13:12). The city itself will be destroyed. The once-glorious, luxurious city will be empty of people. Nobody will occupy it for generations, at the very least (Isaiah 13:20).

Instead of the glory of man, the city will become home to wild beasts. Hyenas will make their laughing cry from the ruins of Babylon's once-great towers. Jackals will call out in public spaces. This is in addition to the goats, ostriches, and other howling creatures (Isaiah 13:21). It's an eerie, haunting scene of a once-urban place that has become inhospitable to people.

Isaiah concludes the prophecy by declaring that its fulfillment is not far off. The days of Babylon are numbered. This destruction did not take place during Isaiah's lifetime. Judah was still occupied with the Assyrian threat while the prophet lived. The Lord revealed through Isaiah what would eventually become of the powerful nation. Those that conquer will always be conquered. Empires rise and fall (Daniel 2:39–43), but the glory of the Lord is forever (Psalm 9:5–8).

The message to Israel in this oracle is clear: do not trust in kings and kingdoms or in the false gods of the nations. Trust in the Lord God. His might is absolute. And He is the only safe refuge (Isaiah 40:6–8).
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