Let the Priestes, the ministers of the Lord weepe betweene the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and giue not thine heritage into reproche that the heathen should rule ouer them. Wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
Joel 2:15 Blowe the trumpet in Zion, sanctifie a fast, call a solemne assembly.
Joel 2:16 Gather the people: sanctifie the congregation, gather the elders: assemble the children, and those that sucke the breastes: let the bridegrome go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her bride chamber.
Joel 2:17 Let the Priestes, the ministers of the Lord weepe betweene the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and giue not thine heritage into reproche that the heathen should rule ouer them. Wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
Joel 2:18 Then will the Lord be ielous ouer his land, and spare his people.
Joel 2:19 Yea, the Lord wil answere and say vnto his people, Beholde, I will send you corne, and wine, and oyle, and you shalbe satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproche among the heathen,
The verse centers on "priestes", "ministers", "lord", "weepe", "betweene", "porch", "altar", and "spare". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "priestes" and "ministers", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 16's "Gather the people sanctifie the congregation gather..." into verse 18's "Then will the Lord be ielous ouer...", so "priestes" and "ministers" belong inside that flow. In Joel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "priestes" and "ministers" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.