The king sat on his seat, as at other times, even on the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.
Nevertheless Saul didn’t say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him.
He is not clean.
Surely he is not clean.”
On the next day after the new moon, the second day, David’s place was empty.
Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why didn’t the son of Jesse come to eat, either yesterday, or today?”
Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem.