Only the livestock and goods in the city are spared, and these are kept as loot by the victorious Israelites, as the Lord had instructed Joshua (verse 2). It is possible to render part of this verse as direct discourse: “The LORD had told Joshua, ‘The people of Israel may keep the livestock and the goods captured in the city.’ So the Israelites kept these for themselves.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .