They turned away empty-handed, He turned His face away empty-handed/ to turn away someone's request/ reject a plea
She did not respond to his request. She rejected his request and responded negatively.
("And she said, "I will ask a little of you, but do not turn away from me." And the king said to her, "Ask for me, for I will not turn away from you." - 1 Kings 2:20 (the daughter of Sheba and David), and so: "I went full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why did you call me Naomi, when the Lord has answered me, and my father has brought me evil?" - Ruth 1:21 (Naomi to my men, a house of bread), And so: "Let us (our children) come before your face, for mercy and truth shall go before your face, do not put us to shame, do not send us away empty from your presence" - the prayer of forgiveness for terrible days, and so: "His son Jacob was a son of old men ..., and from eternity he did not send his face away empty" - Life of his grandmother/ Truth from the land will flourish, Hemed, 54)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
הֵשִׁיבוּ רֵיקָם, הֵשִׁיב אֶת פָּנָיו רֵיקָם
Definition (Hebrew)
לֹא נַעֲנָה לְבַקָּשָׁתוֹ. דָּחָה אֶת פְּנִיָּתוֹ וְהֵשִׁיב עָלֶיהָ בִּשְׁלִילָה.
("וַתֹּאמֶר שְׁאֵלָה אַחַת קְטַנָּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁאֶלֶת מֵאִתָּךְ אַל תָּשֶׁב אֶת פָּנָי וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ הַמֶּלֶךְ שַׁאֲלִי אִמִּי כִּי לֹא אָשִׁיב אֶת פָּנָיִךְ"- מְלָכִים א ב כ (בַּת שֶׁבַע וְדָוִד), וְכֵן:"אֲנִי מְלֵאָה הָלַכְתִּי וְרֵיקָם הֱשִׁיבַנִי ה', לָמָּה תִקְרֶאנָה לִי נָעֳמִי וַה' עָנָה בִי וְשַׁדַּי הֵרַע לִי"- רוּת א כא (נָעֳמִי לְאַנְשֵׁי בֵּית לֶחֶם), וְכֵן:"אַתְאֶנּוּ (בָּאנוּ) לְחַלּוֹת פָּנֶיךָ, כִּי חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת יְקַדְּמוּ פָנֶיךָ, נָא אַל תְּבַיְּשֶׁנּוּ, נָא אַל תְּשִׁיבֶנּוּ רֵיקָם מִלְּפָנֶיךָ"- תְּפִלַּת הַסְּלִיחוֹת לְיָמִים נוֹרָאִים, וְכֵן:"בְּנוֹ יַעֲקֹב בֶּן זְקוּנִים הָיָה לוֹ ..., וּמֵעוֹלָם לֹא הֵשִׁיב אֶת פָּנָיו רֵיקָם"- חַיִּים סָבָתוֹ/ אֱמֶת מֵאֶרֶץ תִּצְמַח, חֶמֶד, 54)