Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
Joel 2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
Joel 2:16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
Joel 2:17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
Joel 2:18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.
Joel 2:19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
The verse centers on "priests", "ministers", "lord", "weep", "between", "porch", "altar", and "spare". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "priests" 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 sanctify the congregation assemble..." into verse 18's "Then will the LORD be jealous for...", so "priests" 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 "priests" and "ministers" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.