The Lord presented, argued, and decided a case against his rebellious people, Israel. This section is written as a formal legal court case. Other prophets use the same pattern (compare Isaiah 1:2–4; Jeremiah 2:4–9; Hosea 4).
Using the image of a courtroom, the Lord challenged his people to state their case against him. At the same time, he stated his case against them (Micah 6:1–5). The people had not obeyed what the Lord required of them (Micah 6:6–8), so they were found guilty (6:9–12).
After the guilty verdict, the passage describes Israel’s punishment. This final section announces the sentence that follows the judgment (Micah 6:13–16).