Therefore …: The horrible punishment described here is due to God’s decision to punish the people very severely. Therefore may be rendered “This is why.”
Fathers shall eat their sons in the midst of you, and sons shall eat their fathers: Parents will eat their own children, and children will eat their own parents in the besieged city of Jerusalem. This depicts the horrible suffering that will happen in the city when it is being attacked by the Babylonians. The Hebrew text has fathers and sons. Nothing is said about mothers and daughters, but it seems logical that both sexes are intended, so translators may say “parents” and “children,” as in Good News Translation. But even if the translation is left in the masculine, the picture is still a horrible one. Contemporary English Version makes explicit the reason why the people will eat their own family members—they will be “so desperate for food.” This cannibalism will happen in the midst of you, that is, in Jerusalem. Translators may say “in the city.” The first part of this verse may be rendered “As a result, parents in the city will eat their own children, and children will eat their own parents.”
And I will execute judgments on you means God will punish the people of Jerusalem through cannibalism. For I will execute judgments, see 5.8. This clause may be rendered “This is the way I will carry out your punishment” or “That is how it will be when I will punish you.”
And any of you who survive I will scatter to all the winds: This clause explains the meaning of what Ezekiel did to his third pile of hair (see Ezek 5.2). Any of you who survive refers to anybody from Jerusalem who does not die during the siege. I will scatter to all the winds means God will send the remaining population of Jerusalem into exile in many neighboring countries. This clause may be rendered “And if any of you survive, then I will drive you away in every direction to other countries.”
Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .