and that they proclaim and cause to pass over all their cities, (and in Jerusalem,) saying, `Go ye out to the mount, and bring leaves of the olive, and leaves of the oil tree, and leaves of the myrtle, and leaves of the palms, and leaves of thick trees, to make booths as it is written.'
Nehemiah 8:13 And on the second day have been gathered heads of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to act wisely concerning the words of the law.
Nehemiah 8:14 And they find written in the law that Jehovah commanded by the hand of Moses, that the sons of Israel dwell in booths in the feast, in the seventh month,
Nehemiah 8:15 and that they proclaim and cause to pass over all their cities, (and in Jerusalem,) saying, `Go ye out to the mount, and bring leaves of the olive, and leaves of the oil tree, and leaves of the myrtle, and leaves of the palms, and leaves of thick trees, to make booths as it is written.'
Nehemiah 8:16 And the people go out, and bring in, and make for themselves booths, each on his roof, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the broad place of the water-gate, and in the broad place of the gate of Ephraim.
Nehemiah 8:17 And they make--all the assembly of the captives of the captivity--booths, and they sit in booths; for the sons of Israel had not done, from the days of Jeshua son of Nun, so unto that day, and there is very great joy.
The verse centers on "proclaim", "cause", "pass", "over", "cities", "jerusalem", "saying", and "mount". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "proclaim" and "cause", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 14's "And they find written in the law..." into verse 16's "And the people go out and bring...", so "proclaim" and "cause" belong inside that flow. In Nehemiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "proclaim" and "cause" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.