Transform the following sentence into a simple sentence: 'As he was ill, he could not attend the meeting.'

1. ক
   He was ill and could not attend the meeting.
   
2. খ
   Being ill, he could not attend the meeting.
   
3. গ
   Because of his illness, he could not attend the meeting.
   
4. ঘ
   He could not attend the meeting because he was ill.