Final answer:
Upon conquering a city, Israel is commanded to destroy all the males and may take women, children, and livestock as plunder, except for cities given as their inheritance where they must leave nothing alive.
Step-by-step explanation:
When Israel conquers a city that is not part of the land given to them as their inheritance, they are commanded to utterly destroy all the males with the sword. Women, children, livestock, and other spoils can be taken as plunder. These instructions are given in Deuteronomy 20:13-14, and it is stated that these actions are carried out with the Lord's approval, indicating that they were following the commandments given to them at the time. In contrast, it is mentioned in Deuteronomy 20:16 that in the cities that God has given them as an inheritance, they are to leave nothing alive that breathes.