There is nothing so precious as a faithful friend: This verse continues the comparison made in verse 14b between a friend and treasure. Good News Translation does not repeat the phrase a faithful friend; “Nothing else is as valuable” carries through with the thought quite well.

And no scales can measure his excellence: The scales refer to a set of balances that could determine the heavier of two objects, and in some cases, their comparative value. It is a metaphor based on an object no longer in common use, so Good News Translation abandons the comparison to scales entirely, and simply states the meaning: “there is no way of putting a price on it.” New English Bible also omits the comparison, though in a different direction: “his worth is more than money can buy.” Note that Good News Translation says “it” while New English Bible says “his.” Both are correct. Good News Translation refers back to “treasure” and New English Bible to “faithful friend.” It is easy for a translator to make a mistake in these lines and confuse pronouns. Be careful. Another possible translation is “We cannot estimate the value of a faithful friend.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.