You shall surely smite, etc. —- A donkey train or camel caravan which passes from place to place saves it. Destroy it and all that is in it, etc. —- From here they derived [that] the possessions of the righteous which are in it are forfeit, [while] those which are outside it are saved; those of the wicked, whether within or without, are forfeit.

As it is stated: And all its spoils you shall gather into its plaza, etc. —- If it has no plaza, they make one. [If] its plaza is outside it, they bring it in. And you shall burn the town and its spoils completely to Hashem your God —- its spoils, not the spoils of Heaven. From here they derived [that] the hekdesh objects in it are redeemed, the terumos are [left] to rot, [and the] maaser sheni and Holy Scriptures must be buried. Completely to Hashem your God —- said R’ Shimon: The Holy One, Blessed is He, said: If you will carry out the judgment of an apostate town, it is as if you bring a burnt-offering before Me. And it shall be a mound forever; it may not be rebuilt at all —- it may not even be made into gardens or orchards; [these are] the words of R’ Yose HaGlili. R’ Akiva says: It may never again be rebuilt —- it may not be rebuilt to what it was but it may be made into gardens and orchards. And nothing of the banned matter shall stick to your hand —- For as long as the wicked are in the world, there is anger in the world; [when] the wicked perish from the world, anger disappears from the world.