Wata rana Jonatan, ɗan Saul, ya ce wa saurayin da yake ɗaukar masa makamai, “Zo, mu haye mu je sansanin Filistiyawa a wancan hayi.” Amma bai faɗa wa mahaifinsa ba.
Sai Filistiyawa suka taru don su yi yaƙi da Isra'ilawa. Suka fito da karusa dubu talatin (30,000), da mahayan dawakai dubu shida (6,000), da sojoji da yawa kamar yashi a bakin teku, suka kafa sansani a Mikmash, a wajen gabashin Bet-awen.