“Prepare for slaughter of his children because of the iniquity of their fathers.” This verse is sometimes said to contradict Deuteronomy 24:16, but this is not the case. Deuteronomy 24:16 is speaking of civil penalties carried out by the government. This is clear from the context. Isaiah 14:21 is speaking of national calamities (in this case, war) that are the result of the evil of earlier generations. The two subjects are totally different. Many “children” (men 16-25) died in WWII because the “fathers” sat by while Hitler preached hate, then built a huge army. Similary, “sons” now die of mercury poisoning because “fathers” dumped mercury, PCBs, etc., into lakes.