Now they are dead, they will not live is literally “The dead will not live.” The pronoun they refers to the “other lords” in the previous verse, so for clarity Now they are dead may be rendered “Those other lords have now died.” In the present context the Hebrew imperfect verb rendered will not live means “will not live again” (Revised English Bible). New Jerusalem Bible expresses it well with “will not come back to life.”

They are shades, they will not arise is parallel to the previous line. For shades see the comments on 14.9. They will not arise means they will come back to life. Like Good News Translation, most translations use “rise” rather than arise. For this clause Bible en français courant has “they will not stand up again.”

The fourfold statement in the first two lines of this verse is particularly emphatic. It indicates that there is no future hope at all for the foreign rulers who ruled Judah. The expressions here are used again in verse 19, but in the context of hope for God’s people. There is a sharp contrast between verses 14 and 19 through the use of the same terminology. The Hebrew negative particle bal reinforces the contrast (see the introductory comments on verses 7-19). Not live and not arise in this verse are in contrast with “live” and “rise” in verse 19.

To that end thou hast visited them with destruction: To that end renders a Hebrew particle that is often translated “therefore.” However, this sense does not fit well here. In this context it is more likely a logical connector introducing a reason, which may be rendered “for” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible) or “because” (New Revised Standard Version), or an emphatic particle, which may be rendered “indeed,” “of a truth” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or “It is true” (Bible en français courant). BDB suggests that it develops what is implicit in the previous statement. “In other words” is a way to express that sense. Thou hast visited them with destruction is literally “you have visited and caused to destroy them.” The Hebrew verb rendered visited has the negative sense of “punished” (Good News Translation) here (see the comments on this verb at 24.21).

And wiped out all remembrance of them: Yahweh has caused everyone to forget the foreign leaders of Judah. This could mean that they had no family members or descendants to remember them.

Translation models for this verse are:

• They are dead, they will not live again;
they are the departed, they will not rise to life again.
Indeed, you, Yahweh, have destroyed them,
you have wiped out all memory of them.

• Those lords are dead, they will not live again;
those lords are in the grave, they will not come back to life.
That is because you, Yahweh, have punished them by destroying them,
wiping out all recollection of them.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .