Israel & the Nations: The History of Israel from the Exodus to the Fall of the Second Temple

When I was in College this was one of the text books that was used to teach Jewish history. Recently I used the book to teach a class myself on the history of Israel. Some good things about this book is that it has short chapters and told in a simple and concise manner by a great theologian of the New Testament, the late F. F. Bruce. This book covers all of the before Jesus period of the Jews on up to the Bar Kochba rebellion that ended in 135 AD. Some of the main features are the detail of the Maccabean revolt and the Jewish revolt that culminates in the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. This book is not exhaustive, but if you are looking for a good place to start, this would be it.