In stark contrast to Isaiah's agony in the previous verses, Isaiah 21:5 paints a picture of carefree festivities. Babylon was busy with the wrong kinds of preparations! The spreading of the rugs was part of the elaborate feasting for which Babylon was known.
This part of the prophecy would later become a fact when the Babylonians were banqueting on the night they were invaded (Daniel 5:1–31). It is also a general scriptural truth that careless living may lead to being taken unawares by judgment.
5 They prepare the table, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink. Arise, O princes; oil the shield!